GIFT    OF 
JANE 


TEXAS 
HERO   STORIES 

AN 
HISTORICAL  READER  FOR  THE  GRADES 


BY 

KATIE  DAFFAN 

President  Texas  Woman's  Press  Association 
President  Texas  Division  United  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy 


OV      TTOAX*       dAAa 


BENJ.  H.  SANBORN  &  CO. 

BOSTON  NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 


Copyright,   1908 
By  KATIE  DAFFAN 


DONNELLEY    &    SONS    COMPANY 
CHICAGO 


dfatbec 


281739 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

A  KNIGHT  OF  KING  Louis  ". .       i 

THE  FOUNDERS  OF  THE  EMPIRE 15 

ON  THE  TRAIL  WITH  A  BEAR  HUNTER 37 

A  FIGHT  WITHIN  A  CONVENT  WALL .51 

MEASURING  DEER  TRACKS 59 

FIFTEEN  MINUTES  OF  DESTINY 75 

THE  RANGERS  ON  THE  PLAINS   ........     89 

THE  HERO  OF  SHILOH in 

'  OUR  WAR   GOVERNOR .     .     .119 

THE  OLD   ROMAN 125 

THE  TRIBUNE  OF  THE  PEOPLE      ........   131 

THE   SIBYL'S    STORY      .:.........   137 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


LA   SALLE „ page  i 

STEPHEN    F.   AUSTIN           . page  15 

DAVID    CROCKETT page  37 

THE   ALAMO page  51 

SAM    HOUSTON page  59 

ALBERT    SIDNEY   JOHNSTON page  ill 

FRANCIS    R.    LUBBOCK    ...           page  1 19 

JOHN    H.    REAGAN page  125 

JAMES  STEPHEN  HOGG page  131 

TEXAS  STATE  CAPITOL     ...            ....  page  137 


INTRODUCTION 

Texas  history,  with  its  heroic  achievement,  ad- 
venture, dangerous  situation,  sacrifice  and  inartvr- 
dom,  appeals  to  our  imagination  and  our  love  of 
romance,  as  well  as  to  our  ratfint1'grrs  our  pride  and 
undying-  gratitude,  and  it  affords  fascinating  ground 
for  the  story-teller. 

It  has  been  my  purpose  in  the  preparation  of 
these  stories  to  present  a  brief  biographical 
sketch  and  to  give  something  of  the  service  to 
Texas  of  the  heroes  selected.  I  have  consulted 
diaries,  histories,  journals,  and  records,  and  it 
has  been  my  privilege  to  obtain  interesting  data 
from  some  of  those  loyal  citizens  of  Texas  who 
are  now,  in  the  excellence  of  their  service,  mak- 
ing Texas  history. 

I  wish  to  express  genuine  appreciation  to  those 
dear  friends  who,  by  their  constant  encourage- 
ment and  interest,  have  made  the  preparation  of 
these  stories  a  pleasure.  To  those  friends  who 
have  placed  at  my  disposal  their  private  libraries, 
many  of  them  containing  rare  books,  I  wish  to 
express  my  appreciation,  as  I  do  to  those  who 
have  assisted  me  in  obtaining  appropriate  photo- 
graphs and  pictures. 

In  the  belief  that  the  Sibyl's  Story  is  all  true, 


Introduction 

that  "  all  things  are  possible  to  us,  and  the  best 
is  yet  to  come,"  that  through  the  diligence  and 
energy  of  her  devoted  sons  and  daughters  Texas 
is  destined  to  retain  her  high  place  in  civic  ex- 
cellence, and  that  the  Texans  of  to-day  are 
worthy  descendants  of  their  noble  sires,  these 
stories  are  offered. 

KATIE  DAFFAN. 
DALLAS,  TEXAS,  January,  1908. 


RENE- ROBERT  CAVELIER  SIEUR  DE  LA  SALLE. 


TEXAS   HERO   STORIES 


A  KNIGHT  OF  KING  LOUIS 


the  most  distinguished  adventurer  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  was  a  knight,  pure,  true 
and  loyal..  Fearless,  intelligent,  of  excellent  family, 
Bis  devotion  to  his  king  was  of  the  nature  of  a  re- 
ligious sentiment,  and  his  love  for  his  church  of  the 
kind  that  would  seek  to  endure  martyrdom^ 

For  energy^  self-reliance7  courage,  force  of  will 
and  persistency  in  a  chosen  pursuit,  he  has  had  few 
equals  ;  and  with  it  all  his  character  shows  a  perfect 
faith  and  a  resignation  to  Divine  will. 

Impulsive  and  quick  to  reach  a  decision,  he  was 
tireless  in  his  efforts  to  mature  his  ideas  and 
plans,  and  he  shared  each  duty  assigned  to  his  men. 
He  worked  with  them,  side  by  side,  made  sacrifices 
for  them,  gave  tender  care  to  the  sick  and  afflicted, 
provided  as  best  he  could  for  the  women  and  chil- 
dren, and  amid  the  bleakest  surroundings  and  the 
most  discouraging  and  sickening  conditions  he 
showed  the  adaptation  to  circumstances  seen  only 
in  those  truly  noble. 

He  worked  on  and  on,  with  faith  that  never  fal- 
i 


2  Texas  H-eto  Stories 

tered,  sustaining  and  upholding  those  less  cour- 
ageous than  himself,  ever  mindful  of  the  welfare  of 
others  and  neglecting  his  own,  faithful  to  his  coun- 
try, his  king  and  his  God. 

Rene-Rohert  Cavelier,  Sieur  de  LaSalle,  "  the_ 
father  of  colonization  'r  in  the  great  valley  of  the 
middle  west,  ^  was  born  in  Rouen,  the  proud  cap- 
ital of  Normandy,  France,  in  1643,  and  he  was 
carefully  educated  for  the  priesthood. 

France,  as  were  the  other  countries  of  Europe, 
was  deeply  interested  in  the  stories  that  were  afloat 
about  "America;"  the  new  country  was  talked 
about  everywhere,  and  the  several  European  mon- 
archs  were  sending  expeditions  to  explore  arid  take 
possession. 

LaSalle,  young,  ambitious,  bold  and  restless,  was 
attracted  to  Canada,  where  he  hoped  to  make  a  for- 
tune among  the  fur  traders  and  trappers.  He 
made  the  dangerous  journey  from  France  to  Can- 
ada, and  in  a  birch  bark  canoe  explored  the  scat- 
tered lakes  and  rivers. 

Nobody  knew  the  size  of  America,  whether  it 
was  500  or  5,000  miles  across.  They  knew  that  the 
Pacific  ocean  was  somewhere  to  the  west  of  the 
Great  Lakes,  but  more  than  this  they  did  not  know. 

LaSalle  had  a  majestic  plan;  he  thought  he  could 
go  up  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  through  the  lakes  to 
Lake  Superior,  from  the  western  outlet  of  which  he 
confidently  believed  he  would  be  in  easy  reach  of 
the  Pacific  ocean,  then  to  sail  in  triumph  for  China, 


A  Knight  of  King  Louis  3 

thereby  placing  the  route  from  Asia  to  Europe  un- 
der the  control  of  France,  and  making  valuable  be- 
yond calculation  the  French  possessions  in  America. 

The  Indians  had  talked  much  of  a  great  river 
many  miles  to  the  west,  which  flowed  into  the  sea. 
They  called  it  "  The  Father  of  Waters."  LaSalle 
thought  this  great  river  must  be  the  route  to  the 
Pacific  ocean,  so,  after  gaining  permission  of  the 
governor  of  Canada,  he  set  out  to  find  the  "  Father 
of  Waters." 

Exposed  to  every  danger,  the  treachery  of  his 
enemies,  the  cruelties  of  the  Indians,  starvation  and 
the  sickness  and  death  of  some  of  his  men,  LaSalle, 
for  eleven  years,  wandered  through  the  ice  and 
snow,  across  the  lakes,  up  and  down  the  St.  Law- 
rence river,  and  at  the  head  waters  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. It  was  in  February,  1682,  before  he  em- 
barked upon  the  "  Great  River  "  (the  Mississippi), 
which  he  named  "  Colbert,"  in  honor  of  the  great 
French  minister.  The  river  was  so  blocked  with 
ice  that  passage  was  impossible  and  the  party  could 
do  nothing  but  stop  and  camp  to  wait  for  the  melt- 
ing of  the  snow. 

When  the  journey  was  resumed,  the  first  stop 
was  made  at  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  river, 
where  the  party  was  kindly  received  at  an  Indian 
village. 

The  Indians  told  LaSalle  that  by  sailing  up  the 
Missouri  river  for  twelve  miles  he  would  find  the 
place,  in  a  range  of  mountains,  where  the  great 


4  Texas  Hero  Stories 

river  took  its  rise,  and  that  from  the  heights  of 
the  snow-capped  mountains  he  could  see  the  Pa- 
cific ocean  where  mighty  ships  with  rich  cargoes 
were  sailing. 

The  Indians  knew  wonderful  stories  of  the  rivers, 
mountains  and  forests,  and  LaSalle  grew  more  and 
more  excited  and  determined  to  find  the  Pacific 
ocean. 

He  did  not  follow  the  Indians'  suggestion  of  as- 
cending the  Missouri,  but  continued  his  journey 
down  the  Mississippi,  stopping  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio,  where  the  party  secured  much  game  and  ex- 
plored the  forests  and  caves. 

As  they  followed  the  river  to  the  southward  the 
air  became  mellow  and  perfumed,  the  banks  wid- 
ened into  flower-covered  prairies,  moss  hung  from 
the  trees,  and  the  admiration  and  enthusiasm  of  the 
explorers  were  boundless. 

They  knew,  from  the  widening  banks,  the  salt  in 
the  water  and  the  breeze  and  the  quiet  current  that 
the  sea  was  near ;  but  it  was  not  the  Pacific  ocean, 
but  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  to  which  they  had  safely 
journeyed. 

LaSalle  landed  and  amid  great  rejoicing,  fervent 
prayers  and  exultant  cries  of  "  Long  Live  the 
King,"  erected  a  column  inscribed  with  the  arms 
of  France  and  the  words,  "  Louis  the  Great  Reigns ; 
April  9,  1682."  Then,  in  solemn  voice,  he  pro- . 
claimed :  "  Henceforth,  my  God  and  my  king, 


A  Knight  of  King  Louis  5 

supreme  forever,  over  the  innumerable  souls  and 
immeasurable  lands  of  this  great  continent."  He 
named  the  country  "  Louisiana  "  in  honor  of  the 
King. 

So  delighted  was  LaSalle  with  the  new  country, 
its  beauties,  and  its  possibilities,  that  he  resolved  to 
return  at  once  to  Canada,  then  to  France,  to  lay 
his  plan  of  "  founding  a  new  and  greater  France  " 
before  King  Louis,  and  to  obtain  royal  permission 
to  begin  permanent  settlements  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi  river. 

He  reached  Canada  in  safety  and  sailed  for 
France,  arriving  at  Rochelle  in  December,  1683. 

King  Louis  XIV  called  the  "  Grand  Monarque," 
listened  with  rapt  attention  to  LaSalle's  earnest  ac- 
count of  the  rich  lands,  the  mighty  rivers,  the  In- 
dians that  should  be  made  Christians  and  his  desire 
to  add  such  mighty  domain  to  France. 

The  king  approved  the  plans  and  pledged  his  as- 
sistance ;  he  conferred  upon  LaSalle  the  title  of  the 
nobility,  gave  him  a  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade  in 
Canada  and  appointed  him  governor  of  all  lands 
which  he  might  discover. 

Four  ships  were  prepared  for  the  return  journey; 
the  Jolt,  a  man  of  war,  the  Belle,  a  frigate,  the  Ami- 
able and  St.  Francis,  supply  ships,  containing  food, 
settlers'  goods  and  goods  to  trade  with  the  Indians. 
The  Belle  was  the  personal  gift  from  the  king  to 
LaSalle. 


6  Texas  Hero  Stories 

The  party  embarking-  included  five  priests,  twelve 
young  gentlemen,  fifty  soldiers  and  twelve  families 
of  immigrants. 

Onithe  24th  day  of  July,  1684,  the  four  ships 
sailed  from  Rochelle,  but  on  account  of  an  accident 
to  the  Joli,  and  a  return  to  Rochelle  to  have  her  re- 
paired, the  fleet  did  not  make  final  sail  until  the  first 
day  of  August. 

The  voyage  was  perilous,  the  sea  rough,  and  La- 
Salle  and  his  naval  commander,  Beaujeu,  had  a 
quarrel,  which  became  more  and  more  personal  and 
disagreeable  as  the  journey  advanced. 

The  St.  Francis  being  a  slow  sailer,  was  captured 
by  a  Spanish  man  of  war,  the  fleet  was  unneces- 
sarily delayed  at  the  West  Indies,  LaSalle  had  a 
frightful  illness,  almost  losing  his  mind,  and  many 
of  the  -party  were  ill  from  the  sudden  climatic 
change,  but  in  spite  of  it  all  the  fleet  finally  entered 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Going  further  and  further  down  the  coast,  the 
party  looked  daily  for  the  mouth  of  the  great  river, 
but  nothing  could  be  seen  which  indicated  that  they 
were  near  it.  Mutiny  was  threatened,  general  dis- 
content reigned,  and  La  Salle's  troubles  seemed  to 
be  without  end. 

At  last,  one  day  an  opening  was  discovered  in  the 
coast  line,  the  water  between  the  low  points  of  the 
opening  was  muddy  and  discolored,  and  LaSalle 
decided  that  it  was  the  Mississippi.  But  he  was 


A  Knight  of  King  Louis  7 

mistaken ;  he  had  gone  too  far  to  the  west  and  was 
sailing  along  the  Texas  coast. 

He  tried  to  land  at  a  number  of  points  to  the 
west,  but  he  was  kept  out  by  the  sandbars  and 
breakers. 

As  he  sailed  to  the  westward  he  noticed  the  broad 
uninterrupted  prairies  covered  with  the  silvery  grass 
and  he  remembered  that  he  had  seen  no  such  coun- 
try around  the  Mississippi,  and  he  became  fright- 
ened for  fear  he  was  lost. 

Before  he  had  fully  realized  his  error  he  had 
sailed  500  miles  too  far  to  the  westward ;  he  turned 
and  slowly  sailed  to  the  east,  entering  Pass  Cavallo 
on  the  west  side  of  San  Bernardo  or  Matagorda 
bay,  landing  on  the  sixteenth  day  of  February,  1685. 
LaSalle  thought  he  had  reached  the  western  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi  river. 

The  first  occurrence  after  the  arrival  upon  the 
Texas  coast  was  not  calculated  to  inspire  enthusi- 
asm and  hopefulness.  LaSalle  watched  from  the 
shore  the  ship  Amiable  run  aground.  She  con- 
tained the  food  supplies,  the  ammunition,  the  medi- 
cine, the  clothing  and  the  tools,  and  to  the  now 
faint-hearted  LaSalle  this  loss  meant  the  temporary 
abandonment  of  his  cherished  plans.  She  was  lost 
through  the  obstinacy  of  Captain  Beaujeu,  who 
sought  opportunities  to  provoke  LaSalle. 

It  was  impossible  to  float  the  vessel,  but  a  part 
of  the  supplies  were  brought  in  small  boats  to  the 


8  Texas  Hero  Stories 

shores  by  the  Indians.  In  the  night  a  storm  com- 
pletely destroyed  her.  This  was  a  serious  trial,  but 
LaSalle  endured  it  without  losing  hope  or  courage. 

The  location  was  poor,  the  food  was  lost,  there 
was  no  water  to  drink,  save  that  from  the  bay,  and 
sickness  and  death  visited  the  camp,  some  of  the 
men  dying  each  day.  To  add  to  this  sad  condition, 
the  Indians,  who  were  friendly  at  first,  plundered 
the  camp  and  stole  everything  valuable,  especially 
the  blankets,  so  the  campers  suffered  from  the  cold 
and  exposure.  Ory  and  Desloges,  two  of  LaSalle's 
men,  were  murdered  by  the  Indians. 

Ill-luck  continued.  Beaujeu,  vain  and  pompous, 
proud  of  his  office  as  "  naval  commander,"  and 
seeking  every  opportunity  to  show  his  authority, 
now  openly  refused  to  obey  LaSalle.  He  made  up 
his  mind  to  return  to  France  and  could  not  be  per- 
suaded to  remain. 

With  about  forty  of  the  company  —  and  LaSalle 
couldn't  spare  any  of  them  —  all  of  the  cannon  and 
a  large  quantity  of  the  food,  Beaujeu  sailed  on  the 
Joli,  the  best  remaining  vessel,  leaving  only  the 
Belle  as  a  means  of  further  exploration. 

This  was  enough  to  dishearten  any  man,  how- 
ever heroic,  but  LaSalle  recovered  from  his  disap- 
pointment, and,  leaving  Joutel,  who  could  always  be 
depended  upon,  in  command  of  the  camp,  he  sailed 
with  a  few  boats  and  a  party  of  well-armed  men 
to  the  head  of  the  bay,  where  he  found  a  river  com- 
ing in  from  the  north. 


A  Knight  of  King  Louis  9 

He  concluded  that  this  was  one  of  the  mouths 
of  the  Mississippi,  but  as  he  ascended  it,  instead 
of  its  growing  wider,  it  grew  narrower,  its  waters 
became  clear,  and  instead  of  great  trees  along  the 
banks,  there  were  miles  of  unbroken  lands  covered 
with  grass  upon  which  wandered  herds  of  buffalo. 

LaSalle  realized  that  it  was  not  the  Mississippi, 
but  another  river,  and  he  named  it  Lavaca,  or  "  Cow 
River,"  from  the  buffalo-cows  which  he  found  near 
it.  Even  this  disappointment  did  not  deter  LaSalle 
from  his  determination  to  find  the  Mississippi ;  he 
seemed  proof  against  discouragement. 

When  he  returned  to  camp  he  found  everything 
in  disorder  and  the  men  down-hearted,  rebellious 
and  angry  with  him  for  bringing  them  to  such  a 
desolate  place  to  die.  They  had  plotted  to  murder 
Joutel,  who  had  so  faithfully  protected  them,  and 
they  constantly  quarreled  among  themselves. 

Added  to  these  internal  troubles,  the  Indians  came 
to  the  camp  every  night  to  steal  what  they  could, 
and  the  Spaniards  threatened  the  life  of  every  white 
man  who  stepped  upon  the  shore. 

Some  of  the  men  deserted,  a  number  were 
drowned,  and  one  of  the  bravest  ones  died  from  a 
rattlesnake  bite. 

LaSalle  ordered  the  removal  of  the  women  and 
children  to  the  place  he  had  selected  for  a  fort  on 
the  Lavaca  river.  With  many  difficulties,  for  there 
were  no  oxen  to  haul  the  wood,  and  no  carpenters  in 
the  party,  the  fort  was  erected.  It  was  divided  into 


io  Texas  Hero  Stories 

rooms,  a  cellar  was  built  where  the  ammunition  was 
to  be  kept,  a  tower  was  erected  at  each  of  the  four 
corners  and  openings  were  left  in  the  walls  to  keep 
off  the  Indian  attacks. 

A  little  chapel  was  erected  and  the  whole  was 
fenced  in ;  to  the  little  fortress  LaSalle  gave  the 
name  St.  Louis,  in  honor  of  the  King  of  France. 

No  sooner  had  the  colonists  settled  themselves  in 
Fort  St.  Louis  than  LaSalle  determined  again  to 
locate  the  great  river,  so  on  the  thirty-first  day  of 
October,  1685,  with  a  party  of  selected  men,  he  set 
out.  After  a  fruitless  search,  weeks  of  wandering 
through  swamp  and  forest,  exposed  to  the  Indians, 
without  food,  water  or  clothes,  the  few  who  were 
spared  sorrowfully  found  their  way  back  to  the  fort. 

The  conditions  at  the  fort  could  not  have  been 
worse. 

The  Belle,  while  going  across  the  bay,  had  been 
lost  somewhere  near  Dog  island,  thus  removing  all 
means  of  leaving  the  coast.  The  ammunition  was 
nearly  exhausted,  the  Indians  seeing  their  advan- 
tage, became  more  and  more  hostile,  death  invaded 
the  camp,  the  men,  women  and  children  had  died, 
and  LaSalle,  now  that  all  hope  seemed  gone,  be- 
came dangerously  ill,  and  for  days  lay  in  an  uncon- 
scious condition. 

But  his  life  was  spared,  and  just  as  soon  as  he 
was  able  to  travel,  with  his  nephew,  Moranget,  his 
brother  and  eighteen  others,  leaving  Joutel  in 
charge,  he  started  for  the  northeast. 


A  Knight  of  King  Louis  n 

Their  first  stop  was  at  the  village  of  the  Cenis 
Indians,  on  the  Trinity  river,  who  received  them 
kindly,  and  gave  them  food  supplies.  To  LaSalle 
they  showed  much  attention  and  kindness  and  he 
enjoyed  a  long-needed  rest ;  the  Indians  gave  a 
feast,  entertaining  and  delighting  their  visitors  with 
a  war  dance. 

So  fascinated  had  the  men  become  with  the  In- 
dians that  in  less  than  a  day's  journey  from  the  vil- 
lage four  of  them  deserted  and  returned  to  live 
with  the  Indians. 

While  LaSalle  and  two  of  his  men  were  crossing 
the  Brazos  river  in  light  cane  canoes,  a  great  alli- 
gator drew  one  of  the  men  under  the  water.  There 
had  seemed  no  limit  to  the  uncanny  and  terrible 
sights  that  brave  LaSalle  was  called  upon  to  witness ; 
now  one  of  his  fearless  companions,  who  had  stood 
with  him  in  every  vicissitude  of  unexpected  danger, 
was  snatched  away  in  the  most  frightful,  hideous 
manner.  Because  of  the  sad  accident  LaSalle 
named  the  river  Maligne. 

After  a  six  months'  wandering,  only  eight  of  the 
explorers  who  had  left  Fort  St.  Louis,  returned, 
weary  and  heart-sick. 

It  was  no  time  now  to  talk  of  finding  the  great 
river  which  Joutel  called  the  "  Fatal  River."  Words 
of  hope  and  encouragement  had  little  meaning  to 
the  poor,  starved,  crushed  and  unhappy  colonists. 
LaSalle's  mind  was  now  centered  upon  saving  the 
lives  of  his  people,  so,  after  providing  for  the  suf- 


12  Texas  Hero  Stories 

ferers  in  the  fort  as  best  he  could,  with  just  half 
of  the  colonists  he  bade  farewell  to  Fort  St.  'Louis 
On  the  twelfth  day  of  January,  1687,  and  started  for 
Canada. 

With  LaSalle's  party  were  his  brother  Cavelier, 
his  nephew  Moranget,  the  good  priest  Father 
Anastase,  Liotat  a  surgeon,  Duhaut,  Joutel,  and 
Saget  and  Nika,  two  Indian  servants. 

Over  trackless  prairies,  through  dense  and  be- 
wildering forests,  they  journeyed  in  a  northeasterly 
direction  until  on  the  sixteenth  day  of  March, 
they  reached  the  Neches  river,  where  a  quarrel 
which  had  been  brewing  a  long  time,  broke  into 
action. 

Duhaut  and  Liotat  had  all  the  while  been  ene- 
mies to  LaSalle  and  his  ambitions ;  now  they  de- 
termined to  kill  him.  They  formed  a  conspiracy 
to  kill  Moranget,  LaSalle's  beloved  nephew,  then  to 
kill  LaSalle.  They  carried  out  their  murderous 
plans. 

Moranget,  Nika  and  Saget  were  murdered  in 
camp  while  they  slept,  Liotat  striking  the  fatal 
blows. 

LaSalle,  while  searching  for  Moranget,  with  Fa- 
ther Anastase  and  an  Indian  guide,  was  waylaid 
and  murdered  by  Duhaut  and  Liotat,  who  lay  hid- 
den in  the  tall  grass.  LaSalle,  shot  in  the  head 
and  chest,  fell  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  March,  1687. 
Twas  not  enough  for  the  fiends  to  cowardly  take 


A  Knight  of  King  Louis  13 

this  brave  man's  life,  they  stripped  the  body  and 
left  it  a  prey  for  wolves  and  wild  birds. 

After  LaSalle's  death  the  expedition  went  to 
pieces.  Some  of  the  party  joined  the  Indians.  La- 
Salle's brother,  with  six  others,  joined  a  post  which 
had  been  erected  in  1686  in  the  "  land  of  the  Ar- 
kansas." 

In  April,  1689,  a  force  under  Alonzo  de  Leon  was 
sent  from  Mexico  to  destroy  Fort  St.  Louis,  but  the 
fort  was  found  deserted.  Those  who  had  escaped 
starvation  had  been  captured  by.  the  Indians. 

LaSalle  did  not  reach  the  Mississippi  to  colonize 
a  "  great  empire  in  the  name  of  the  mighty  king  of 
France,"  but  he  was  the  forerunner,  and  the  initia- 
tor of  the  marvelous  work  which  followed  his. 

Though  at  the  time  LaSalle  seems  to  have  failed, 
at  this  period  of  our  country's  excellence,  we  at- 
tribute to  him  success,  glory  and  honor.  He  was 
the  first  white  man  to  make  a  settlement  in  Texas. 
With  every  disadvantage  and  discouragement,  he 
persisted  in  his  object  and  could  not  be  deterred 
therefrom.  Texans  and  Americans  give  praise  and 
appreciation  to  this  bold  and  gallant  Soldier  of  For- 
tune. 


STEPHEN  F.  AUSTIN 


The  Founders  of  the  Empire  15 


THE  FOUNDERS  OF  THE  EMPIRE 

"  A  COLONY  is  a  better  offering  than  a  victory," 
says  Bancroft,  and  that  man,  who  by  fearless 
leadership,  control  of  men  and  faith  in  his  own  pur- 
pose lays  the  first  stone  in  the  foundation  of  a 
State  is  entitled  to  the  gratitude  of  the  world.  The 
"  pioneer  "  is  a  hero  of  his  own  peculiar  kind ;  it 
is  the  pioneer  who  goes  ahead,  looks  beyond,  counts 
the  cost  and  takes  the  first  step  in  the  untried  and 
unknown ;  it  is  the  pioneer  who  gives  direction  to 
history  and  upon  his  success  or  failure  depend  the 
growth,  the  character  and  the  happiness  of  a  people. 

There  are  difficulties  in  peace  and  terrors  in  war, 
all  to  be  mastered  by  the  presence  of  mind,  courage 
and  patriotism  of  heroes,  but  few  conditions  ever 
arise  in  any  phase  of  civil  or  military  government 
equal  to  the  desolation,  privation  and  lonely  new- 
ness which  must  be  faced  and  overcome  by  the 
sturdy  pioneer.  He  must  not  only  be  bold  and  fear 
no  dangers  himself,  but  must  instill  others,  who 
look  to  him,  with  faith  and  hope,  bidding  them  look 
forward  to  happy  homes  and  contentment. 

The  first  colony  in  Texas  was  planted  by  Stephen 
F.  Austin,  who  knew  not  rest,  ease,  or  personal  con- 
sideration from  the  moment  he  arrived  in  Texas  to 


1 6  Texas  Hero  Stories 

penetrate  her  dark  forests,  traverse  her  virgin 
prairies,  discover  her  treasures  and  foretell  her  won- 
derful future,  until  the  last  days  of  that  fateful 
era-marking  year,  1836,  when  God,  because  his 
work  had  been  well  done  and  "  pleasing  unto  Him," 
called  him  home  to  rest  and  reward. 

He  takes  a  place  with  those  heroes  who  shall 
teach  to  future  ages  the  majesty  of  a  peerless  man- 
hood, a  pure  heart,  a  patriot's  devotion,  energy  and 
forbearance ;  for  "  The  Father  of  Texas,"  prudent, 
amiable  and  patient,  of  eminent  talent  and  the  rarest 
virtue',  opened  to  us  the  highway  of  civilization 
when  all  before  him  was  savage,  wild  and  desolate. 

There  is  an  old  adage  of  frequent  quoting  some- 
thing like  this:  '-'A  great  man's  son  will  ne'er  do 
him  credit."  The  two  Austins,  father  and  son,  con- 
tradict this  old  saying  and  prove  its  fallacy. 

Moses  Austin,  the  father,  was  a  man  of  strong 
initiative,  keen  foresight  and  ready  energy ;  Stephen, 
the  son,  was  all  of  these  and  more. 

Like  the  two  Pitts  of  England,  both  father  and 
son  were  far  beyond  the  ordinary,  bringing  with 
their  powers  of  initiative  and  leadership  a  practical 
ability  to  make  others  understand  and  appreciate 
their  purposes.  Both  possessed  the  necessary  share 
of  enthusiasm  which  is  required  to  make  great  proj- 
ects succeed,  and  both  knew  how  to  impart  this 
enthusiasm  to  others. 

Moses  Austin,  a  native  of  Durham,  Conn.,  for 
some  years  a  prosperous  merchant  in  Philadelphia, 


The  Founders  of  the  Empire  17 

and  later  in  Richmond,  Va.,  heard  such  marvelous 
accounts  of  the  western  wealth,  especially  the  great 
lead  mines  in  Missouri,  that  he  was  determined  tu 
seek  his  fortune  amidst  the  new  scenes ;  so,  with  his 
family  he  crossed  the  mountains  of  Virginia,  entered 
the  new  western  country  and  laid  the  foundation 
of  what  is  now  Washington  County,  Missouri. 

Through  the  influence  of  Baron  Carondolet,  then 
Governor  of  Louisiana,  he  secured  a  grant  of  the 
lead  mines  of  Potosi,  about  forty  miles  west  of  St. 
Genevieve  where  he  carried  on  an  extensive  and 
profitable  mining  business. 

At  his  home,  "  Durham  Hall,"  he  dispensed  royal 
hospitality  and  many  of  his  friends  from  Virginia 
followed  him  to  make  homes  in  the  West  and  to  en- 
gage with  him  in  the  mining  enterprise! 

When  his  success  was  at  its  height  and  his  for- 
tune had  increased  far  beyond  his  fondest  expecta- 
tions, the  failure  of  the  Bank  of  Missouri  caused 
him  heavy  losses.  He  became  seriously  involved, 
and  one  loss  after  another  so  discouraged  him  that 
he  decided  to  leave  Missouri  and  seek  a  still  newer 
country. 

He  conferred  with  his  son,  Stephen,  in  whom  he 
reposed  great  confidence,  in  regard  to  a  plan  b;. 
which  they  could  go  with  a  colony  of  Anglo- Ameri 
cans  to  the  Spanish  province,  Texas.  Young  Ste- 
phen was  heartily  in  favor  of  this  plan  and  the  ar- 
rangement was  made  for  Moses  Austin  to  visit 
Texas  and  ask  permission  to  take  the  colony. 


1 8  Texas  Hero  Stories 

In  1820  Moses  Austin  went  to  San  Antonio,  then 
ihe  capital  of  the  province,  and  obtained  an  inter- 
view with  Governor  Martinez.  The  Governor, 
who  had  received  instructions  from  the  Spanish 
Government  "  not  to  allow  North  Americans  to  en- 
ter Texas  under  pain  of  imprisonment,"  was  very 
brusque  and  impolite  to  Austin  and  ordered  him  to 
leave  immediately.  As  he  slowly  walked  through 
the  garden  surrounding  the  Governor's  house,  hurt 
at  the  harsh  words,  disappointed  at  the  failure 
of  his  well-laid  plan  and  trying  to  make  up  his  mind 
that  his  long  journey  had  failed,  he  met  the  Baron 
de  Bastrop,  whom  he  had  previously  known  in  the 
United  States.  The  Baron, 'a  Prussian  in  the  serv- 
ice of  Mexico,  formerly  a  soldier  in  the  army  of 
Frederick  the  Great,  was  then  one  of  the  alcaldes  of 
San  Antonio. 

After  expressing  his  pleasure  at  meeting  Austin, 
hearing  from  him  the  cherished  plan  of  colonizing 
the  province,  and  perceiving  the  effect  of  the  ungra- 
cious reception  of  Governor  Martinez,  the  Baron, 
with  great  earnestness,  went  at  once  to  the  Gov- 
ernor and  persuaded  him  to  again  give  audience  to 
Austin  and  to  consider  the  colonization  enter- 
prise. 

The  Governor  at  the  second  interview  became  in- 
terested and  at  the  last  quite  enthusiastic,  for  he 
said  to  Austin :  "  You  may  count  upon  my  assist- 
ance in  every  way  that  duty  and  circumstance  will 
permit."  Bastrop  at  once  secured  permission  from 


The  Founders  of  the  Empire  19 

the  authorities  at  Monterey  for  Austin  to  bring 
three  hundred  families  to  Texas.  This  permission 
was  easily  secured,  because  in  1798,  when  Spain 
owned  the  Louisiana  territory,  Austin  became  a 
Spanish  subject,  so  he  was  exempt  from  the  law 
which,  at  that  time,  forbade  foreigners  settling  in 
Texas. 

Austin's  homeward  journey  was  filled  with  ter- 
rors and  trials.  On  account  of  the  Gachupin  war 
the  country  from  the  Sabine  River  to  San  Antonio 
wras  practically  uninhabited  and  while  crossing  this 
broad  expanse  of  country,  when  more  than  two 
hundred  miles  from  any  settlement,  he  was  robbed 
and  cruelly  deserted  by  his  companions. 

After  wandering  for  weeks  and  weeks  in  an  ex- 
hausted and  enfeebled  condition,  subsisting  upon 
acorns  and  herbs,  he  at  last  found  his  way  to  the 
McGofBn  settlement,  on  the  Sabine  River,  where  he 
rested  and  somewhat  regained  his  strength  before 
resuming  the  journey  homeward.  He  reached  his 
home  in  Missouri  finally,  his  energy  undampened 
and  his  bold  spirit  unquenched  by  numerous  hard- 
ships. In  the  spring  of  1821  he  began  active  opera- 
tions to  remove  permanently  to  Texas.  But  his 
faith  in  his  plans  and  his  almost  supernatural 
energy  could  not  resist  the  fatal  disease  which  was 
slowly  creeping  upon  him. 

The  exposure  to  the  blasts  of  winter,  the  lonj* 
nights  spent  in  the  snow  and  soaking  rain,  the 
weeks  without  proper  food  and  the  terrible  anxiety. 


2O  Texas  Hero  Stories 

brought  his  life  to  an  end  on  the  tenth  day  of  June, 
1821,  in  the  fifty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

Just  a  few  days  before  his  death  he  received  no- 
tice from  the  Spanish  authorities  that  his  applica- 
tion for  permission  to  plant  a  colony  in  Texas  had 
received  all  of  the  necessary  indorsements  and  he 
would  be  welcomed  at  any  time. 

His  last  words  were  an  earnest  request  that  his 
son,  Stephen  F.  Austin,  should  colonize  the  Prov- 
ince of  Texas.  The  father  was  spared  the  trials, 
hardships  and  suffering  incident  to  the  develop- 
ment of  his  plan.  In  the  providence  of  God  that 
was  to  be  the  life  work  of  the  son. 

Stephen  Fuller  Austin,  born  at  Austinville,  near 
New  River,  Wythe  County,  Virginia,  on  the  third 
day  of  November,  1793,  when  a  very  small  boy  was 
taught  self-dependence  and  to  draw  upon  his  own 
resources.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years  he  was  sent 
to  school  at  Calchester  Academy,  Connecticut, 
where  he  remained  one  year,  thence  to  the  academy 
at  New  London,  where  he  remained  three  years,  and 
last  to  Transylvania  University,  Kentucky,  where 
for  two  years  he  made  a  good  record. 

Upon  leaving  the  university  he  was  elected  to 
the  Territorial  Legislature  of  Missouri  from  Wash- 
ington County,  and  was  re-elected  for  three  succes- 
sive years. 

When  Moses  Austin  lost  the  accumulated  savings 
of  more  than  twenty  successful  years,  due  to  the 
failure  of  the  Bank  of  Missouri,  and  went  to  Texas 


The  Founders  of  the  Empire  21 

to  make  application  in  person  to  the  Governor  to 
plant  a  colony  there,  Stephen,  who  with  great  earn- 
estness entered  into  the  colonization  scheme,  pur- 
chased a  small  farm  at  Long  Prairie,  on  Red  River, 
in  the  Arkansas  territory,  to  be  a  place  for  rest  and 
recruiting  for  the  colonists  as  they  journeyed  to 
Texas. 

In  1819,  while  at  Long  Prairie,  Stephen  was  ap- 
pointed Circuit  Judge  in  the  Arkansas  Territory. 
In  1820  he  went  to  New  Orleans  to  investigate  the 
means  by  which  the  colonists  might  enter  Texas 
and  to  study  the  laws  which  would  prepare  him  for 
his  duties  of  colonization.  In  June  he  heard  from 
Natchitoches,  Louisiana,  that  the  commissioner,  Don 
Erasmo  Seguin,  sent  by  Governor  Martinez,  to  es- 
cort his  father's  colony  into  Texas,  had  arrived  and 
was  waiting  there  for  the  colony.  Stephen  has- 
tened to  Natchitochs  to  meet  the  commissioner  and 
after  waiting  there  a  few  days  and  receiving  no 
message  from  his  father,  started  with  the  party  for 
Texas. 

They  had  not  crossed  the  Sabine  River  when 
Stephen  Austin,  hearing  that  letters  had  arrived  for 
him  at  Natchitoches,  hastily  returned  to  receive 
them.  They  advised  him  of  his  father's  death. 
Realizing  the  tremendous  responsibility  which  rested 
upon  him  and  firm  in  his  pledge  to  prove  himself 
worthy  of  his  noble  father,  he  faithfully  accepted 
the  trust  which  his  father  in  his  dying  moments  had 
left  him  and  gave  his  life  to  Texas.  Don  Erasmo 


22  Texas  Hero  Stories 

Segu'in  received  him,  as  his  father's  successor,  and 
the  journey  to  Texas  was  continued,  the  party 
crossing  the  Sabine  River  on  the  sixteenth  day  of 
July  and  reaching  the  Guadalupe  River  on  the  tenth 
day  of  August. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  party  in  San  Antonio, 
Governor  Martinez  extended  formal  welcome  to 
Austin  and  bade  him  select  the  site  to  plant  his 
colony.  He  was  not  long  in  deciding  upon  the  beau- 
tiful piece  of  country  watered  by  the  Brazos  and 
the  Colorado  Rivers. 

Austin  now  returned  to  New  Orleans  to  bring  his 
colonists  to  Texas.  With  the  aid  of  his  friend,  J. 
L.  Hawkins,  he  fitted  out  a  small  schooner  Lively, 
which,  having  on  board  eighteen  passengers,  pro- 
visions, arms  and  ammunition,  sailed  for  Texas  on 
the  twentieth  day  of  October,  1821.  Austin  gave 
the  party  specific  instructions  to  ascend  the  Colorado 
River  until  they  found  a  suitable  place  for  settle- 
ment, where  they  were  instructed  to  build  cabins 
and  to  erect  the  necessary  Indian  defenses.  The 
Lively  was  never  heard  from  and  her  fate  is  not 
known.  The  day  after  the  departure  of  the  Lively, 
-Austin  left  New  Orleans  and  proceeded  by  way  of 
Natchitoches  to  Matagorda  Bay,  where  he  expected 
to  meet  his  Lively  party.  At  Natchitoches  he  was 
joined  by  a  number  of  colonists,  chiefly  those  who 
had  read  the  published  notices  of  the  beauty,  health 
and  rich  opportunity  offered  in  Texas,  and  some 


The  Founders  of  the  Empire  23 

who  had  accepted  Austin's  invitation  to  join  the 
colony. 

When  Austin  and  this  party  reached  the  mouth 
of  the  Colorado  River,  they  searched  long  and  well 
for  the  schooner  Lively.  In  despair  they  jour- 
neyed to  La  Bahia  crossing  (Goliad),  where  Aus- 
tin happily  met  his  brother,  John  Brown  Austin, 
and  they  proceeded,  with  twenty  men  to  San  An- 
tonio. 

Since  the  visit  of  Moses  Austin  to  Governor 
Martinez,  Mexican  independence  had  been  declared 
by  Iturbide,  and  the  Governor  doubted  seriously 
whether  or  not  the  new  government  would  sanc- 
tion his  acts  in  regard  to  the  colony.  He  urged 
Austin  to  avoid  all  uncertainty  by  going  in  person 
to  the  City  of  Mexico,  lay  his  plans  before  the  au- 
thorities and  secure  recognition  of  his  right  as  a 
colonist.  His  mind  intent  upon  the  success  of  his 
colony  and  fearing  no  hardships  or  dangers,  Austin 
left  his  colony  in  charge  of  Josiah  Bell  and  set  out 
upon  the  journey  of  more  than  twelve  hundred 
miles,  much  of  the  time  disguised  as  a  beggar  or  a 
forlorn  soldier,  traveling  on  foot  and  meeting  many 
hair-breadth  escapes,  for  the  highways  were  alive 
with  robbers  and  murderers.  The  country  through 
which  he  passed  appealed  to  his  sense  of  the  beau- 
tiful and  picturesque  and  though  weary  in  body  he 
was  charmed  with  the  flowers,  the  fruits,  the  miles 
of  the  native  maguey  plant  growing  in  even,  geo- 


24  Texas  Hero  Stories 

metric  rows,  the  quaint  and  curious  adobe  houses 
with  here  and  there  a  handsome  "hacienda"  (a 
Mexican  country  house).  In  spite  of  the  treach- 
ery and  awful  crimes  which  he  saw  committed 
every  day,  he  was  compensated  somewhat  in  the 
absence  of  all  creature  comfort  and  safety  by  the 
aspect  of  nature  in  her  gayest  holiday  attire.  Soon 
after  the  arrival  of  Austin  in  the  city,  the  govern- 
ment, which  was  "  torn  in  many  factions,"  pro- 
claimed Iturbide  Emperor.  As  a  consequence  there 
was  much  uncertainty  and  delay  in  respect  to  all 
legal  transactions. 

In  February,  1823,  a  new  colonization  law  was 
finally  passed  and  Austin  having  succeeded  in  the 
object  of  his  visit  was  preparing  to  return  to  Texas 
when  he  saw  unmistakable  signs  of  another  revolu- 
tion, and  fearing  that  the  confirmation  of  his  rights 
as  a  colonist,  which  he  had  received  with  such  diffi- 
culty, might  all  be  undone,  he  determined  to  delay 
a  while  to  note  the  changes  in  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment. 

"  The  changes  "  were  rapid ;  Congress  decreed 
"  that  the  coronation  of  Iturbide  was  null  and  void, 
being  an  act  of  violence,"  and  "  that  all  executive 
acts  of  government  from  the  igth  day  of  May,  1822, 
to  the  28th  day  of  March,  1823,  were  illegal  and  sub- 
ject to  revision."  This  proved  that  Austin  was  very 
wise  in  waiting  for  the  end  of  the  revolution.  With 
his  usual  energy  he  sought  "  the  confirmation  of 
his  rights  as  a  colonist  "  from  the  new  government, 


The  Foun4ers  of  the  Empire  25 

and  on  the  nth  day  of  April,  1823,  Congress  re- 
ferred his  request  to  the  supreme  executive  power. 
The  executive  power,  by  decree,  confirmed  in  full 
the  privileges  and  powers  granted  to  Austin,  and 
a  copy  of  the  decree  was  presented  to  him,  on  the 
fourteenth  day  of  April,  1823. 

He  had  been  absent  from  his  colony  one  year, 
during  which  time  he  had  obtained  a  substantial 
knowledge  of  the  language,  the  laws,  the  customs 
and  the  religion  of  the  people  and  he  made  friends 
with  many  of  the  enlightened  men  of  Mexico,  im- 
pressing them  with  his  straightforwardness  and  in- 
tegrity. Austin  had  rare  diplomacy  and  he  was  a 
statesman  in  the  school  of  sound  common  sense. 

On  the  1 8th  day  of  April,  1823,  he  started  for 
home,  stopping  at  Monterey,  where  the  commanding 
general  of  the  eastern  internal  province,  which  in- 
cluded Texas,  bestowed  upon  him  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant colonel.  This  gave  him  the  power  to  make 
war  against  the  Indians  and  he  received  permission 
to  introduce  supplies  into  the  colony  by  way  of  Gal- 
veston.  He  was  instructed  to  make  report  at  stated 
times  to  the  Governor  of  Texas,  giving  account  of 
all  important  happenings  in  his  colony. 

Baron  de  Bastrop,  his  father's  friend,  accom- 
panied him  to  Texas  and  they  reached  the  colony  in 
July,  1823. 

The  colonists  received  their  beloved  leader  witl; 
a  joy  unto  thanksgiving;  a  few  of  the  settlers  had 
become  discouraged  and  returned  to  their  homes  in 


26  Texas  Hero  Stories 

the  United  States  and  some  few  had  found  homes 
in  other  portions  of  Texas,  but  the  greater  number 
had  remained  faithful  and  were  ready  and  eager  to 
build  up  their  colony. 

The  Governor  of  Texas,  Don  Luciana  Garcia, 
v/ho,  like  the  former  Governor,  Martinez,  seemed 
interested  in  the  affairs  of  the  Texans,  named  the 
capital  of  the  colony  San  Felipe  de  Austin,  in  honor 
of  Austin  and  of  his  own  patron  saint. 

He  appointed  Austin  "  Empresario,"  which  office 
gave  him  almost  unlimited  authority ;  but  Austin 
possessed  a  keen  knowledge  of  men,  a  great  heart 
and  a  ready  tact,  so  he  ruled  with  gentleness  and 
kindness  and  though  the  greatest  among  them  he 
was  the  helper  and  the  comrade  of  all. 

Happiness  reigned.  San  Felipe  de  Austin  be- 
came the  center  of  an  enthusiastic,  thriving  com- 
munity. In  1825  Austin  secured  permission  to 
bring  five  hundred  families  to  increase  his  colony, 
:md  after  this  the  people  came  in  large  numbers  to 
Texas ;  they  heard  of  the  fine  climate,  cheap  living 
and  good  discipline,  and  the  new  towns  of  Colum- 
bia, Brazoria,  Gonzales,  San  Augustine  and  Vic- 
toria became  prosperous  settlements. 

Not  only  did  Austin  exercise  wise  control  over 
his  own  colony,  but  he  was  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  all  of  the  Texas  people  and  did  what  he  could  to 
direct  the  general  course  of  colonization. 

In  1827  there  occurred  what  is  known  as  the 
"  Fredonian  War."  A  tract  of  land  in  Eastern 


The  Founders  of  the  Empire  27 

Texas  had  been  granted  to  Hayden  Edwards,  a 
Kentuckian,  upon  which  he  had  planted  a  colony. 
He  had  much  annoyance  due  to  the  nearness  of  the 
"  neutral  ground "  where  lurked  dangers  of  all 
character,  robbers,  cut-throats  and  all  doers  of  law- 
lessness, but  the  greatest  difficulty  with  which  Ed- 
wards had  to  contend  was  the  uncertainty  of  his 
claim.  The  land  upon  which  he  was  established 
was  claimed  by  the  Mexicans,  who  constantly 
threatened  the  colonists,  and  it  was  also  claimed  by 
the  parties  who  were  living  upon  it  before  Edwards 
planted  his  colony. 

When  Edwards  was  absent  in  the  United  States, 
so  persistent  did  the  strife  become  that  the  Mexican 
government  took  away  the  grant  and  ordered  the 
colonists  to  leave.  The  colonists  appealed  to  the 
Governor  for  assistance  and  being  refused,  de- 
termined to  make  Texas  an  independent  Republic, 
calling  themselves  "  Fredonians  "  and  the  Republic 
which  they  desired  to  establish  "  Fredonia." 

The  Cherokee  Indians,  who  were  also  angry  with 
the  Mexican  government  for  refusing  to  grant  to 
them  a  section  of  land  long  ago  promised,  joined 
Edwards  and  his  colonists  in  a  convention,  declar- 
ing "  that  Fredonia  was  then  and  ever  should  be 
free  from  Mexico."  This  convention  made  a  di- 
vision of  Texas,  giving  all  land  north  of  a  line  run- 
ning from  Nacogdoches  east  and  west  to  the  Chero- 
kees  and  all  south  to  the  colonists.  The  Indians 
proved  to  be  unfaithful  allies. 


28  Texas  Hero  Stories 

Nacogdoches  was  the  Headquarters  for  the  col- 
onists and  the  Indians. 

Austin,  who  realized  how  terrible  would  be  the 
results  from  resisting  the  Mexican  government, 
pleaded  with  the  colonists  to  give  up  their  idea  of 
rebellion.  He  sent  three  of  his  colonists,  as  com- 
missioners, to  persuade  the  leaders  to  abandon  their 
Fredonia  plan.  Though  Austin's  course  was  ra- 
tional and  right  and  he  could  see  the  folly  of  such 
action,  the  Fredonians  were  determined  and  per- 
sisted in  their  head-strong  action. 

The  Cherokees  upon  renewed  promise  of  land 
from  the  Mexican  government  deserted  the  Fre- 
donians and  joined  the  Mexicans. 

The  Mexicans  advanced  upon  Nacogdoches,  and 
realizing  their  weakness,  the  Fredonians,  of  fewer 
than  two  hundred  men,  were  forced  to  surrender. 

Edwards  and  some  of  his  men  sought  homes  in 
Louisiana.  But  for  the  influence  of  Austin  all  the 
Fredonia  colony  would  have  gone  with  Edwards 
and  East  Texas  would  have  been  depopulated. 
With  tact  Austin  interceded  with  the  Mexican  au- 
thorities to  treat  with  kindness  the  colonists  who 
remained. 

The  colonists  at  San  Felipe  de  Austin  were  im- 
proving their  homes,  erecting  churches  and  build- 
ing up  a  good  citizenship,  but  in  spite  of  these 
outward  evidences  of  happiness  and  peace,  they 
were  frequently  reminded  that  danger  was  very 
near.  Mexico  had  forbidden  by  strictest  law  fur- 


The  Founders  of  the  Empire  29 

ther  colonization  from  the  United  States.  The 
taxes  on  property  were  so  increased  that  the  colon- 
ists could  hardly  pay  them.  The  Mexican  govern- 
ment had  taken  all  arms  and  means  of  defense  from 
the  colonists,  thereby  leaving  them  helpless  at  the 
mercies  of  the  Indians  and  Mexicans. 

Brutal,  insolent  Mexican  soldiers  were  placed  'on 
guard  in  every  community  and  the  colonists  who 
resisted  their  insults  were  thrown  into  prison.  The 
Texans  were  outraged  and  determined  to  stop  such 
tyranny  if  it  cost  them  their  lives.  A  convention 
was  called  at  San  Felipe  de  Austin  in  April,  1833. 
(This  convention  is  known  as  the  second  conven- 
tion at  San  Felipe  de  Austin.) 

Earnestly  and  defiantly  did  the  Texans  review 
the  oppression  of  Mexico.  The  pitiful,  desolate  con- 
dition of  the  men,  women  and  children  of  the  col- 
ony !  And  their  helplessness !  The  delegates,  who 
were  ready  to  give  their  lives  for  Texas,  made 
thoughtful  speeches ;  the  convention  was  composed 
of  brave  men,  Americans  who  later  filled  places  of 
honor  and  trust.  David  G.  Burnet,  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Republic  of  Texas,  was  a  delegate; 
Sam  Houston,  soon  to  be  the  hero  of  San  Jacinto, 
was  a  delegate ;  Dr.  Branch  T.  Archer,  Stephen  F. 
Austin  and  J.  B.  Miller  were  delegates.  The  dele- 
gates voted  to  send  a  memorial  to  the  Government 
of  Mexico,  asking  that  the  unnecessary  laws  be  re- 
pealed, and  W.  H.  Wharton,  J.  B.  Miller  and  Ste- 
phen F.  Austin  were  selected  by  the  convention  to 


30  Texas  Hero  Stories 

present  the  memorial  to  the  National  Congress  of 
Mexico. 

Nobody  knew  better  than  did  Austin  the  dangers, 
greater  now  than  ever  before,  of  a  journey  to  the 
City  of  Mexico,  but  his  people  cried  to  him  for  aid 
and  they  depended  upon  him.  He  could  not  resist 
their  appeal,  so  with  full  knowledge  of  the  distance 
and  the  dangers,  fearless  patriot  that  he  was,  he 
made  the  journey  —  and  he  made  it  alone. 

Farias,  the  vice  president  of  Mexico,  was  in  con- 
trol of  governmental  affairs  at  the  time  of  Austin's 
arrival  in  the  city,  and  though  Austin  tried  repeat- 
edly to  obtain  an  interview  with  him,  he  was  so  oc- 
cupied with  his  own  affairs  that  he  had  no  time  for 
Austin  and  Texas.  Such  a  small  matter  as  a  col- 
ony in  Texas  could  not  take  up  his  valuable  time. 

After  the  most  tantalizing  delays,  a  spell  of  ill- 
ness and  every  form  of  discouragement,  through 
the  kindness  and  courtesy  of  Lorenzo  de  Zavala, 
who  wras  later  the  devoted  friend  to  the  Texas  patri- 
ots, Austin  met  Farias.  He  told  him  in  very  plain 
words  that  if  Mexico  did  not  repeal  her  cruel  laws 
and  cease  her  outrageous  conduct  towards  Texas 
that  Texas  would  take  .charge  of  her  own  affairs. 
He  sent  a  carefully  prepared  letter  to  the  authori- 
ties in  San  Antonio,  giving  an  account  of  this  inter- 
view, and  stating  that  in  his  judgment  the  Texas 
people  would  very  soon  have  to  prepare  for  a  gov- 
ernment of  their  own.  Upon  the  receipt  of  this 
letter  the  San  Antonio  authorities  declared  it  an 


The  Founders  of  the  Empire  31 

act  of  treason,  and  sent  it  at  once  to  Vice  President 
Farias,  who  became  furious  at  its  contents.  He 
sent  officers  to  arrest  Austin,  who  had  left  the  city 
on  his  way  to  Texas,  and  place  him  in  prison. 

For  four  months  Austin  was  guarded  in  a  Mex- 
ican dungeon  without  lights,  books,  pen  or  paper ; 
he  was  then  ^removed  to  another  prison  where  he 
was  more  humanely  treated  and  good  Father  Mul- 
doon,  who  upon  a  former  occasion  had  been  kind 
to  him,  provided  him  with  pen  and  paper  and  he 
kept  account  of  the  passing  of  the  lonely,  monot- 
onous prison  days  while  he  thought  of  his  beloved 
colonists  and  earnestly  prayed  that  he  might  be 
permitted  to  save  them. 

When  Santa  Anna,  the  president  of  Mexico,  who 
had  been  busy  thinking  out  a  scheme  by  which  he 
might  make  himself  dictator,  finally  resumed  his 
official  duties,  the 'Texas  matter  came  up  for  dis- 
cussion. Austin,  again  aided  by  our  good  friend 
De  Zavala,  went  before  him  and  pleaded  eloquently 
that  the  cruel  laws  might  be  revoked  and  especially 
that  Texas  might  be  separated  from  the  State  of 
Coahuila.  The  affairs  of  the  State  of  Coahuila 
were  constantly  in  an  unsettled  and  revolutionary 
condition,  and  this  interfered  with  the  management 
of  affairs  in  Texas.  The  Texans  knew  that  they 
needed  no  assistance  from  Coahuila  and  they  wanted 
to  be  separate  and  distinct. 

Santa  Anna's  ruling  was  that  Texas  was  not 
strong  enough  to  be  a  separate  State  and  that  he 


32  Texas  Hero  Stories 

would  send  "soldiers  to  protect  the  people.  To  this 
Austin  bitterly  objected,  saying  that  Texas  could 
protect  her  own  frontier  without  any  assistance 
from  Mexico.  Santa  Anna  made  the  most  Battering 
assurances  of  his  love  for  Texas,  his  pride  in  her 
growth  and  her  people,  but  Austin  was  still  kept 
in  prison. 

Santa  Anna  at  last  was  made  dictator  of  Mexico 
and  controlled  the  National  Congress  which  in  turn 
controlled  the  State  Legislatures,  and  when  he 
found  that  Texas  would  not  bow  to  his  yoke  of 
despotism,  that  she  would  not  for  one  moment  en- 
dure his  cruelties,  he  determined  to  conquer  the 
Texans  —  and  the  sooner  the  better. 

Impaired  in  health,  wearied  from  the  days  of 
loneliness  and  prison  darkness  and  heartsick  at  the 
treatment  of  his  people,  Austin,  after  an  awful  two 
years,  found  his  way  back  to  his  colony.  He  rested 
one  short  month,  when,  with  San  Felipe  as  the  cen- 
ter of  action,  the  war  began.  Austin  gave  his  priv- 
ate means  to  provide  for  the  equipment  of  the 
Texas  soldiers.  The  Texans  were  eager  for  war. 
At  the  first  fighting,  at  Gonzales,  on  the  second  day 
of  October,  1835,  the  Texans  lost  not  a  single  man, 
and  the  Mexicans  lost  four  killed  and  many 
wounded. 

In  spite  of  his  ill  health  Austin  actively  entered 
the  army  service  and  on  the  eleventh  day  of  Octo- 
ber, 1835,  by  unanimous  vote  he  was  elected  "com- 
i. lander  in  chief  of  the  army  of  the  people." 


The  Founders  of  the  Empire  33 

After  ordering  a  thorough  organization  and  ap- 
pointing his  staff,  he  marched  to  San  Antonio,  the 
great  stronghold  of  the  Mexicans,  whither  Mexi- 
can soldiers  had  been  sent  to  take  the  arms  away 
from  the  Texans. 

The  capture  of  Goliad  on  the.  ninth  day  of  Octo- 
ber, 1835,  was  a  victory  for  the  Texans  and  in  the 
battle  of  Concepcion,  on  the  twenty-eighth  day  of 
October,  the  Mexicans  under  General  Cos  were  suc- 
cessfully besieged  in  San  Antonio.  This  victory 
made  the  Texans  more  and  more  eager  to  fight  and 
they  could  not  endure  inactivity  and  waiting. 

Austin  realized  the  state  of  mind  of  the  Texans, 
their  indignation  and  their  determination  to  win ; 
he  further  knew  that  the  discipline  of  the  Texas 
army  depended  upon  his  own  judgment,  tact  and 
the  love  which  his  soldiers  bore  him,  together  with 
their  natural  sense  and  undoubted  patriotism.  He 
saw  plainly  that  a  well  organized  government  was 
an  absolute  necessity,  that  without  it  discipline  could 
not  be  maintained  and  the  best  interests  of  the  peo- 
ple preserved. 

A  great  deal  had  been  said  in  regard  to  a  pro- 
visional government  and  many  of  the  citizens  fa- 
vored it ;  now  Austin  urged  its  formation  upon  all 
those  who  were  soldiers  in  the  army  of  Texas  and 
those  who  remained  at  home.  He  arranged  that  a 
general  meeting  or  "  consultation  "  should  be  held, 
which  should  consider  all  matters  great  and  small, 
which  affected  the  welfare  of  the  people  and  future 


34  Texas  Hero  Stories 

action  was  to  be  determined  upon.  This  "  consul- 
tation," called  at  San  Felipe  on  the  third  day  of 
November,  1835,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a 
provisional  government,  resulted  in  the  election  of 
Dr.  Branch  T.  Archer,  president.  Dr.  Archer,  Wil- 
liam H.  Wharton  and  Stephen  F.  Austin  were  ap- 
pointed commissioners  to  the  United  States  to  se- 
cure aid  and  supplies. 

The  provisional  government,  having  reached  a 
state  of  complete  organization,  appointed  Henry 
Smith  Governor  and  J.  W.  Robinson  Lieutenant 
Governor.  Sam  Houston  was  made  commander  in 
chief  of  the  army  and  was  empowered  to  command 
other  troops  which  might  be  raised. 

In  order  that  he  might  obey  the  call  of  the  gov- 
ernment to  go  to  the  United  States  Austin  withdrew 
from  the  army.  Before  his  departure  he  impressed 
upon  the  soldiers  the  importance  of  continuing  the 
siege  upon  San  Antonio  and  emphasized  the  neces- 
sity of  new  organization. 

The  Adjutant  General  was  instructed  to  "  call 
upon  the  troops  to  volunteer  to  remain  before  San 
Antonio  and  to  organize  at  once  for  the  purpose." 

Four  hundred  and  five  pledged 'themselves  to  re- 
main and  the  election  of  a  commander  for  the  troops 
at  San  Antonio  resulted  in  the  election  of  Edward 
Burleson ;  only  those  pledged  to  remain  were  al- 
lowed to  vote. 

The  commissioners  upon  their  departure  for  the 
United  States  were  instructed  to  "  approach  the 


The  Founders  of  the  Empire  35 

government  in  regard  to  the  independence  or  an- 
nexation of  Texas,  and  to  procure  men,  arms,  am- 
munition and  all  necessary  supplies."  They  were 
successful  to  an  extent  beyond  their  fondest  hopes. 
In  New  Orleans  two  loans  were  contracted,  amount- 
ing to  $250,000.  Austin  pledged  his  private  for- 
tune to  effect  these  loans. 

In  an  eloquent  address  delivered  at  Louisville, 
Ky.,  Austin  presented  the  condition  of  Texas,  her 
claims,  her  rights,  her  opportunities ;  and  gained 
from  those  who  heard  both  sympathy  and  assist- 
ance. He  asked  and  received  assistance  at  New 
York,  Cincinnati,  Nashville  and  Mobile. 

Before  leaving  Washington  for  home,  in  a  letter 
to  General  Houston,  written  on  the  twenty-fourth 
day  of  May,  1836,  Austin  wrote:  "I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  our  independence  will  be  acknowledged 
and  that  Texas  will  be  admitted  into  the  United 
States,  if  properly  asked  for." 

San  Jacinto  now  won,  the  Mexicans  conquered, 
and  Texas  free  from  tyranny  and  despotic  rule, 
the  attention  of  the  citizens  was  turned  to  the  culti- 
vation of  the  land  for  which  they  had  so  valiantly 
fought. 

Austin  was  correct  in  his  foresight ;  Texas  inde-\ 
pendence  was  acknowledged  and  Texas  was  lateif 
admitted  into  the  Union. 

When  the  time  came  for  the  election  of  the  pres- 
ident, Austin  was  mentioned,  because  of  his  great 
worthiness  and  enormous  service  to  Texas,  but  it 


36  Texas  Hero  Stories 

was  evident  that  the  soldiers  who  had  fought  with 
General  Houston,  and  who  so  desired  to  honor 
him,  favored  his  election  to  the  highest  office.  He 
was  unanimously  proclaimed  president  at  Columbia, 
on  the  Brazos,  which  was  then  the  capital. 

When  the  government  was  organized,  Austin  ac- 
cepted the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  in  President 
Houston's  Cabinet.  He  continued  to  work  for 
Texas  with  his  accustomed  zeal  until  he  was  seized 
with  an  attack  of  pneumonia,  from  which  he  died 
on  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  December,  1836,  aged 
forty-three  years.  The  remains  of  the  "  Father  of 
Texas,"  accompanied  by  all  the  officers  of  the  gov- 
ernment, were  carried  to  Peach  Point,  Brazoria 
County,  where,  with  due  ceremony,  they  were  laid 
to  rest.  His  death  was  mourned  by  every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  Texas. 

The  State  of  Texas  has  erected,  in  Statuary  Hall 
in  our  National  Capitol  at  Washington,  also  in  our 
State  Capitol  at  Austin,  a  statue  of  Stephen  F.  Aus- 
tin, which  exquisite  work  vvas  executed  by  Elisabet 
Ney,  the  Texas  sculptor.  Our  proud  Capital  City, 
set  upon  her  circle  of  hills,  named  in  his  honor  and 
rapidly  becoming  more  and  more  beautiful  from  the 
plastic  hand  of  art  and  the  tireless  hand  of  industry, 
is  a  living  memorial  to  his  genius  and  strength. 

As  this  State,  which  he  founded,  is  destined  to 
grow  in  prosperity  and  influence,  even  unto  the 
heights  of  excellence  and  glory,  so  will  his  name 
and  fame  grow  brighter  as  time  leaps  on  to  eternity. 


DAVID  CROCKETT. 


On  the  Trail  With  a  Bear  Hunter        37 


ON  THE  TRAIL  WITH  A  BEAR  HUNTER 

"  BE  sure  you  are  right,  then  go  ahead,"  is  the 
best  loved  of  the  schoolboy's  mottoes,  and  it  was 
this  little  phrase  by  which  David  Crockett  lived  and 
by  which  he  died.  He  was  never  afraid  to  be  right, 
however  difficult  the  result  or  whatever  it  may  have 
cost.  He  was  never  afraid  to  "  go  ahead,"  far 
ahead,  and  he  succeeded.  Men  usually  do  when 
they  persist  in  the  right. 

It  is  the  western  character,  that  peculiar  type  of 
American  manhood,  which  exhibits  the  very  rapid 
passing  from  one  distinct  scene  of  life  to  another, 
and  that  passing  with  perfect  ease,  naturally,  with 
no  delay  or  hesitation. 

The  story  of  David  Crockett  is,  first,  the  story 
of  a  bear  hunter  in  the  wilds  of  the  forests  of  East 
and  Middle  Tennessee  in  the  early  days  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  He  was  a  hunter  who  scorned 
the  cold  wind,  the  ice  and  the  sleet;  who  loved 
the  days  and  nights  in  the  canebrake,  the  hollow 
tree  or  on  the  trail.  To  him  a  bearskin  was  a  tro- 
phy and  he  thought  nothing  of  returning  from  a 
day's  hunt  with  a  half  dozen. 

The  stories  of  hunting  in  India  are  full  of  peril 
and  dangerous  encounters,  but  they  are  as  nothing 


38  Texas  Hero  Stories 

compared  to  the  conditions  which  David  Crockett 
met  in  hazard  and  adventure. 

His  amusement  and  the  relief  for  his  concentrated 
energies  was  in  bear  hunting  and  he  hunted  bears 
with  the  earnestness  which  characterized  every- 
thing else  that  he  did,  entering  into  the  bear  hunt 
determined  to  kill  the  bear,  and  this  spirit  of  de- 
termination marked  every  effort  of  his  life. 

The  story  of  David  Crockett  is  the  story  of  an 
Indian  fighter,  persistent,  courageous,  not  afraid  of 
any  band  of  Indians,  however  large  or  however  sav- 
age;  faithful  to  his  leader,  absolutely  trustworthy, 
and  the  friend  of  every  man  in  his  command.  He 
was  equal  to  long  journeys,  the  care  of  the  wounded 
and  dying,  as  well  as  the  firing  in  the  front  line  at 
the  Indians  who  seemed  to  hide  behind  every  tree. 

Many  a  woman's  and  many  a  child's  life  did 
David  Crockett  save  when  the  Indians  were  ready 
to  lift  their  scalps. 

His  is  the  story  of  a  pioneer  of  the  type  of  such 
men  as  Daniel  Boone.  He  prepared  the  way  for 
others ;  with  a  strong  heart  and  tireless  hands  he 
laid  the  foundation  for  a  great  commonwealth. 
The  men  and  women  with  whom  he  was  associated 
were  poor  and  unlettered.  Rude,  as  a  rule,  they 
knew  nothing  of  refined  manners,  comely  bearing, 
or  good  homes,  and  they  had  little  time  or  inclina- 
tion for  these.  They  were  strong,  plain,  many  of 
them  great-hearted,  level-headed,  and  their  hands 
were  scarred  and  hard  with  honest  labor. 


On  the  Trail  With  a  Bear  Hunter         39 

As  a  pioneer,  David  Crockett  was  wild,  even 
fierce,  and  so  strong  in  will  that  when  he  once  made 
up  his  mind  to  do  a  thing,  or  to  act  upon  a  convic- 
tion, the  organized  world  could  not  change  him. 
He  couldn't  be  scared  into  anything.  He  lived  in 
a  wild,  rough  time,  when  the  country  called  for 
men  of  iron  will,  strong  nerve  and  glowing  patriot- 
ism. He  was  full  of  that  mysterious  omnipotent 
something  which  we  call  "  presence."  Naturally 
he  was  a  leader  and  had  little  trouble  in  securing 
followers.  Brimming  over  with  fun  and  action, 
making  the  most  of  all  awkward  conditions  and 
alive  to  everything,  he  was  a  part  of  the  forest  and 
frontier  life,  and  there  have  been  few  men  of  more 
athletic  strength  or  physical  endurance.  In  his 
composition  laziness  was  an  unknown  quantity. 

The  story  of  David  Crockett  is  the  story  of  an 
early  American  politician.  As  a  member  of  the 
legislature,  his  example  is  a  strong  one  in  favor  of 
perseverance  when  everything  seems  against  him, 
and  of  not  seeking  glory,  as  glory  is  sure  to  follow 
successful  effort.  Just  how  much  may  be  accom- 
plished by  industry  is  pretty  well  shown  by  David 
Crockett's  political  growth  and  rapid  advance- 
ment. 

His  wisdom  was  not  learned  from  books.  His 
hold  upon  the  people  was  due  to  his  understanding 
of  the  people  and  his  superb  interpretation  of  hu- 
man character.  As  a  successful  or  as  a  defeated 
candidate,  he  is  the  same  rugged,  picturesque  na- 


4O  Texas  Hero  Stories 

ture,  not  embittered  by  defeat  or  inflated  with  suc- 
cess. 

A  speech  from  an  educated  orator,  speaking  upon 
the  ethics  of  the  law  and  the  needs  of  the  people, 
could  not  compare  with  his  stump  speeches  in  point 
of  securing  votes,  and  during  his  career  in  congress 
he  gained  the  respect  and  friendship  of  the  great- 
est statesmen  of  his  time. 

And,  last,  the  story  of  David  Crockett  is  the 
story  of  a  man  who  was  willing  and  who  knew  how 
to  die  for  the  right;  a  loyal,  devoted  Texan,  one 
of  the  few  who  won  immortal  renown  fighting  for 
the  independence  of  Texas ;  one  whose  name  should 
be  among  the  first  which  Texas  mothers  should 
teach  their  children  to  lisp,  for  he  was  worthy  of 
the  honor  and  loving  remembrance  of  every  Texan. 
Nothing  in  his  life  was  more  sublime  than  the  end- 
ing of  it. 

David,  son  of  John  and  Rebecca  Hawkins  Crock- 
ett, was  born  in  Green  county,  Tennessee,  on  the 
seventeenth  day  of  August,  1786.  John  Crockett, 
of  Irish  descent,  was  a  farmer,  living  for  some 
years  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  American  revolution  and  fought  at  the 
battle  of  King's  Mountain  and  other  battles  during 
the  campaigns  in  the  South.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  lived  for  a  time  in  North  Carolina,  from 
which  state  he  removed  to  that  part  of  the  country 
called  Tennessee,  which  was  not  then  a  state.  Re- 


On  the  Trail  With  a  Bear  Hunter        41 

becca  Crockett  was  born  in  Maryland.  David's 
grandparents  were  murdered  in  their  own  home  by 
the  Creek  Indians,  and  others  of  the  family  were 
killed  or  taken  prisoners.  Many  of  the  early  im- 
migrants to  Tennessee  suffered  the  same  fate  at 
the  hands  of  the  Indians,  whose  savagery  and  aw- 
ful depredations  kept  back  for  years  the  tide  of  im- 
migration. 

The  Crocketts  were  poor  and  lived  far  into  the 
backwoods,  having  no  opportunity  to  give  advan- 
tages of  any  kind  to  their  six  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

David  was  the  fifth  son,  coming  along  near  the 
"  middle  "  of  the  family,  so  he  did  not  have  the 
leadership  usually  accorded  to  the  oldest  son,  the 
good  luck  of  the  seventh  son  or  the  petted  care  and 
protection  always  given,  by  common  consent,  to  the 
youngest. 

It  was  hard  to  make  a  living  in  the  new,  wild 
country  and  the  time  which  should  have  been  em- 
ployed in  cultivating  the  land  and  hewing  the  great 
trees  was  taken  up  in  using  necessary  precaution 
against  the  cunning  Indians.  David's  early  years 
were  spent  in  the  heart  of  the  woods,  on  the  Indian 
trails,  and  going  into  every  part  of  the  country  ac- 
cessible to  an  active,  healthy  boy. 

It  was  during  these  days  of  wandering  that  he 
developed  his  passion  for  hunting.  As  a  little  boy 
he  would  spend  days,  nights,  often  weeks  in  the 


42  Texas  Hero  Stories 

woods,  and  he  was  a  successful  hunter,  bringing 
home,  as  a  welcome  addition  to  the  family  larder, 
bear,  deer  and  small  game. 

He  knew  the  nature  and  habits  of  the  game  he 
sought  and  it  would  seem  that  this  child  of  the  for- 
est partook  somewhat  of  the  nature  of  his  animal 
friends,  who  lived  in  the  wilds,  for  he  was  a  rover, 
wandering  with  his  gun  and  dog  whither  his  rest- 
less heart  might  lead. 

He  was  not  curbed  in  these  tastes  by  his  father. 
On  the  contrary  he  seems  to  have  been  encouraged. 
The  senior  Crockett,  always  hardpressed  and  little 
dreaming  that  his  boy  David  was  born  for  other 
things  than  a  life  of  day  labor,  put  him  to  work 
with  a  Dutchman  who  was  leaving  Tennessee  for 
Rockbridge  county,  Virginia. 

David  traveled  the  greater  part  of  the  journey, 
which  was  more  than  400  miles,  on  foot,  won  the 
confidence  of  his  master  and  served  him  well.  But, 
wild  boy  that  he  was,  he  was  attached  to  his  moun- 
tain home  and  the  first  sight  of  wagoners  going 
in  the  Tennessee  direction  convinced  him  that  his 
homesickness  was  genuine.  He  listened  to  the  call 
of  the  wild,  and  joyfully  returned  with  them. 

His  school  days  began  with  a  fight  and  an  exile 
from  home.  After  the  fourth  day  of  school,  being 
"  sure  he  was  right,"  he  went  ahead  to  mercilessly 
whip  a  boy  older  and  larger  than  himself,  and,  in 
order  to  avoid  the  flogging  of  the  school  master  and 
probably  one  from  his  father,  he  ran  away.  When 


On  the  Trail  With  a  Bear  Hunter        43 

sufficient  time  had  elapsed  to  remove  all  anxiety 
concerning  the  school  incident  and  his  father's  an- 
ger, David  returned  home  to  receive  an  enthusiastic 
welcome  from  his  brothers  and  sisters  and  the  bless- 
ing of  his  parents  who  thought  he  was  dead. 

His  was  a  yielding  heart,  and  though  a  brave 
man,  apparently  proof  against  the  Indians'  arrows, 
like  many  another  brave  man  he  was  weak  in  the 
presence  of  a  beautiful  woman.  Time  and  time 
again  he  fell  in  love  with  some  pretty  mountain  girl, 
but  his  suit  was  always  rejected.  Upon  being  re- 
fused by  one  girl  who  was,  so  far  as  her  surround- 
ings would  permit,  an  educated  woman,  he  made 
the  resolution  upon  which  much  of  his  later  success 
depended.  He  decided  that  his  misfortunes  grew 
out  of  the  fact  that  he  was  uncouth  and  uneducated. 
He  saw  the  way  and  he  started  to  school,  working- 
two  days  of  the  week  to  pay  the  tuition  for  the 
other  three,  and  in  six  months  he  had  learned  to 
read,  spell  and  "  cipher  some."  This  is  all  the 
schooling  that  David  Crockett  ever  received. 

Persistency  won,  and  he  finally  married  a 
sprightly  Irish  girl,  after  a  precarious  courtship, 
but  he  was  right  this  time  and  went  ahead  and  his- 
tory and  tradition  record  that  they  lived  happily. 

The  terrible  massacre  by  the  Creek  Indians  at 
Fort  Mimms,  in  August,  1813,  caused  Crockett  to 
take  up  arms  against  the  Indians,  so  he  enlisted 
with  the  Tennesseeans  and  served  as  a  scout  under 
General  Jackson.  He  distinguished  himself  for 


44  Texas  Hero  Stories 

fearlessness,  even  boldness,  and  was  greatly  beloved 
by  his  fellow  soldiers.  His  life  in  the  woods  had 
made  him  familiar  with  the  haunts  of  the  cunning, 
wily  Creeks,  and  not  only  was  he  the  best  hunter 
in  camp,  he  was  the  best  forager,  and  this  made  him 
necessary  to  the  comfort  of  the  soldiers. 

The  Indians  fought  with  bows  and  arrows,  clubs, 
guns,  and  with  their  long,  sharp  knives  scalped 
every  white  man  in  reach  and  dozens  of  scalps 
hung  from  every  Indian's  belt.  Crockett  had  many 
narrow  escapes.  Sometimes  by  his  accurate  firing, 
sometimes  by  his  wit,  sometimes  by  his  under- 
standing of  the  Indian  nature  and  characteristics 
but  oftener  by  his  broad  humanity,  he  was  pre- 
served. 

When  the  Indian  hostilities  stopped  and  the  battle 
of  New  Orleans  had  been  fought,  Crockett  returned 
to  his  home  to  begin  that  part  of  his  life  devoted  to 
the  peaceful  interests  of  his  country.  He  soon  be- 
came a  magistrate  and  later  was  elected  to  the  na- 
tional congress. 

The  death  of  his  young  wife,  at  the  close  of  his 
military  service,  was  a  great  sorrow  to  him.  She 
left  three  children  and  in  them  he  found  comfort 
and  later  was  happily  married  the  second  time. 

He  was  appointed  magistrate  in  1821,  and  when 
'the  legislature  added  the  settlement  in  which  he 
lived  to  the  white  settlements  in  Giles  county,  he 
was  appointed  "  squire  "  by  the  law.  Nothing  short 
of  the  native  wit  of  David  Crockett  could  have  saved 


On  the  Trail  With  a  Bear  Hunter        45 

him,  for  warrants  and  notices  were  required  in 
writing  and  he  barely  knew  how  to  write  his  name. 
He  told  his  constable  that  whenever  a  warrant  was 
required  not  to  trouble  to  return  to  the  office,  but 
to  "  just  write  it  out."  When  the  warrants  were 
returned,  David  studied  them  carefully  until  he 
learned  to  write  one  for  himself.  He  permitted  no 
man  to  find  out  what  he  did  not  know.  His  de- 
cisions were  based  upon  common  sense  and  justice 
from  man  to  man.  He  relied  upon  his  own  com- 
mon sense  and  the  common  sense  of  others.  He 
was  not  guided  by  a  knowledge  of  written  law,  for 
at  this  time  he  had  never  seen  a  law  book. 

During  his  race  for  the  legislature,  when  his  op- 
ponents, experienced  lawyers  and  politicians,  con- 
sumed the  entire  time  in  speech-making,  ignoring 
the  back-woodsman,  he  listened  attentively  and 
learned  much  of  the  political  situations,  both  state 
and  national.  When  they  had  finished  speaking 
Crockett  would  mount  the  stump,  tell  a  good  story 
and  secure  the  votes  of  the  auditors,  who  were  fa- 
tigued by  the  learned  speeches.  During  his  serv- 
ice in  the  legislature  he  had  the  usual  opportunities 
to  sell  his  honor,  to  forsake  principle  for  party  and 
to  be  the  mouth-piece  for  dishonest  schemers  and 
promoters,  but  David  Crockett  followed  the  course 
which  marked  his  life,  that  of  coolness,  determina- 
tion and  being  sure  of  the  right  before  going  ahead. 

Though  defeated  the  first  time  he  ran  for  con- 
gress, his  record  was  so  clean  and  his  honesty  so 


46  Texas  Hero  Stories 

apparent  that  those  who  were  opponents  became  his 
friends,  and  he  was  next  time  elected  and  then  re- 
elected. 

Cautious,  saying  little,  placing  the  stamp  of  his 
individuality  upon  everything  that  he  did,  his 
friends  believed  him  to  be  right  in  everything  that 
he  advocated.  He  was  irrepressible  with  frolic, 
jest  and  laughter;  his  very  name  carried  with  it 
geniality  and  fellowship,  at  the  same  time  nerve  and 
enormous  determination.  Unique  and  individual, 
loved  and  loving,  his  course  in  congress  was  marked 
by  the  most  original  electioneering  ever  employed 
by  an  American  candidate. 

He  heartily  and  honestly  opposed  the  policies  of 
General  Jackson.  His  friends  tried  to  dissuade 
him  from  this,  as  Jackson  was  strong  with  the  peo- 
ple, and  when  Crockett's  opponents  spread  the  re- 
port that  he  opposed  Jackson's  Indian  bill,  he  was 
defeated  for  congress,  though  elected  the  next  time, 
after  a  hard-fought  and  close  contest.  It  was  dur- 
ing this  session  of  congress,  in  1834,  that  he  made  a 
tour  through  the  East.  At  Baltimore,  Philadelphia, 
New  York  and  Boston  he  was  toasted,  entertained 
and  great  appreciation  was  shown  for  his  rugged 
manhood  and  excellent  service  to  his  country.  The 
young  Whigs  of  Philadelphia  presented  him  with 
the  famous  rifle,  Betsy,  which  was  his  companion 
upon  so  many  bear  hunts  and  his  means  of  defense 
in  a  cause  so  dear  to  us. 

The  most  characteristic  incident  of  this  eventful 


On  the  Trail  With  a  Bear  Hunter        47 

tour  was  Crockett's  refusal  to  visit  Harvard  uni- 
versity for  fear  a  degree  would  be  conferred  upon 
him.  He  liked  the  title,  "  member  of  congress," 
and  cared  not  for  "  ready-made  "  honors.  He  was 
content  with  what  little  "  learning "  he  had  and 
called  the  university  a  "  branding  school."  He 
probably  feared  the  view  his  constituents  might  take 
of  it. 

These  new  scenes  and  new  environments  were 
very  helpful  to  him,  and  though  he  was  unaccus- 
tomed to  the  mode  of  life,  he  rapidly  became  a 
part  of  it  and  his  frankness  and  genial  manner  made 
friends  for  him  by  the  score. 

When  he  was  defeated  at  the  next  election  it  was 
a  great  disappointment  to  him,  for  he  had  developed 
a  taste  for  public  life  and  his  tour  through  the  East 
had  increased  his  desire  to  remain  before  the  people. 
It  requires  a  defeat  sometimes  to  accomplish  the 
greatest  results.  Had  David  Crockett  been  again 
elected  to  congress  he  could  not  have  shared  the 
greater  glory  of  righting  for  Texan  independence. 
His  name  and  career  would  not  have  been  an  inher- 
itance for  every  boy  and  girl  in  this  commonwealth. 
It  is  those  people  who  sometime  fail  who  really 
accomplish  most,  for  the  man  who  never  fails  is  the 
man  who  never  attempts. 

Defeated  at  home  in  his  political  ambition,  David 
Crockett  naturally  sought  other  fields  of  usefulness. 
He  solemnly  resolved  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  Tex- 
ans,  to  fight  with  them  for  their  independence  and 


48  Texas  Hero  Stories 

what,  he  loved  best  on  earth  —  liberty.  He  prob- 
ably expected  to  return  to  Tennessee  when  other 
officers  had  gained  control  of  the  government,  but 
he  was  irresistibly  drawn  to  the  struggling,  perse- 
cuted men  who  were  fighting  for  Texas,  so,  being 
sure  he  was  right,  he  started  to  Texas  and  the  last 
of  the  story  belongs  to  Texans  of  to-day  as  well  as 
to  Texans  of  yesterday  ;  for  while  valor  is  praised 
in  song  and  story,  while  men  admire  those  qual- 
ities of  heart  and  mind  which  glorify  the  pages 
of  history,  sacred  or  profane,  the  plain  tale  of  this 
plain,  yet  remarkable,  man  will  remain  an  inspira- 
tion to  countless  generations  yet  unborn. 

His  resolution  to  assist  the  Texans  became 
stronger  as  he  advanced  upon  his  journey,  and  all 
along  the  way  he  sought  information  in  regard  to 
the  progress  of  the  war  and  the  welfare  of  the 
Texans.  He  tried  to  influence  others  to  go  with 
him  to  fight  for  freedom,  but  he  secured  few  re- 
cruits. 

Once  in  a  while  on  the  journey  he  was  induced 
to  make  a  speech  and  he  took  occasion  to  ridicule 
the  politics  of  General  Jackson  without  mercy.  It 
seemed  to  be  the  order  of  political  speaking  of  his 
time  to  be  severe  and  abusive. 

At  Nachitoches,  La.,  a  town  on  the  Red  river, 
he  persuaded  a  traveler  to  accompany  him  to  Texas, 
and  a  little  later  he  found  another  and  they  then 
started  for  Nacogdoches,  Texas,  situated  about  sixty 
miles  west  of  the  Sabine  river,  and  the  capital  of 


On  the  Trail  With  a  Bear  Hunter         49 

the  department  of  that  name.  In  Nacogdoches  the 
French  had  established  a  fort  in  1717,  in  order  to 
control  the  Indians  who  wandered  between  the 
French  possessions  and  those  of  the  English  col- 
onists. Here  Crockett  gained  definite  information 
of  the  movements  of  the  Texans  and  their  great  dis- 
tress and  he  rejoiced  that  he  had  resolved  to  fight 
with  them. 

The  journey  over  the  broad,  beautiful  and  lone- 
some prairies  of  Texas  was  alive  with  interest  to 
Crockett.  He  found  plenty  of  game,  chased  a  herd 
of  buffalo,  had  a  mad,  wild  race  with  a  drove  of 
mustangs,  killed  a  number  of  wolves,  a  cougar,  or 
Mexican  lion,  and  met  a  band  of  Comanche  Indians 
with  whom  he  made  friends,  and  for  some  distance 
they  acted  as  a  valuable  guide  on  his  journey. 

His  love  for  dangerous  situations  and  adventure 
was  gratified  on  every  hand,  and  he  was  willing  to 
meet  the  results  of  his  boldness  and  rashness.  He 
and  his  two  companions  put  to  flight  a  number  of 
armed  Mexicans,  for  the  man  whom  Indians  and 
lions  could  not  dismay  was  ready  to  meet  the  riders 
in  the  big  sombreros.  Each  day  of  the  long  ride 
from  Nacogdoches  to  the  town  of  Bexar,  on  the 
San  Antonio  river,  where  was  situated  the  fortress 
Alamo,  brought  its  own  interesting  events. 

These  were  happy  days  to  David  Crockett,  who 
was  fascinated  with  the  new  country  and  was 
spurred  on  and  on  with  the  desire  to  assist  those 
Americans  who  were  determined  to  save  themselves 
from  Mexican  servitude. 


A  Fight  Within  a  Convent  Wall         51 


A  FIGHT  WITHIN  A  CONVENT  WALL 

AT  the  time  David  Crockett  reached  the  town  of 
Bexar,  which  is  the  San  Antonio  of  to-day,  its  in- 
habitants consisted  of  about  1,200  Mexicans,  a  few 
American  families  and  a  garrison  of  soldiers.  It 
was  as  early  as  1718  that  a  military  post  was  estab- 
lished at  Bexar  by  the  Spaniards,  and  in  1721  the 
little  town  was  settled  by  immigrants  from  the  Ca- 
nary Islands  by  order  of  the  king  of  Spain. 

Until  1812  the  town  grew  and  prospered,  but 
after  that  the  citizens  were  so  harassed  by  the  In- 
dians and  such  suffering  and  loss  of  property  was 
caused  by  their  depredations  that  the  prosperity  of 
the  town  was  destroyed. 

San  Antonio  was  captured  from  the  Mexicans 
by  General  Burlespn  on  the  ninth  day  of  December, 
1835,  after  a  struggle  of  five  days  and  nights,  dur- 
ing which  siege  he  lost  only  four  men,  but  one  of 
these  was  the  grand  old  soldier,  Colonel  Ben  Milam. 

The  Mexicans,  who  had  built  strong  fortifications, 
were  driven  by  the  Texans  from  street  to  street 
and  from  house  to  house  until  the  Mexican  com- 
mander, General  Cos,  who  was  a  brother-in-law  of 
Santa  Anna,  president  of  Mexico,  retreated  to  the 
fortress  Alamo,  just  without  the  town  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  and  raised  a  white  flag. 


52  Texas  Hero  Stories 

The  Alamo,  as  were  all  Spanish  missions,  was 
both  church  and  fortress  and  included  the  main 
chapel,  hospital,  convent,  convent  garden,  barracks 
and  prison.  The  powder  was  stored  away  in  the 
sacristy  of  the  church.  The  mission  Alamo  was  be- 
gun in  1703  on  the  Rio  Grande,  moved  to  San 
Antonio  in  1718  and  in  1744  it  was  built  where  its 
ruins  now  stand. 

The  flag  was  raised  and  terms  of  capitulation  of- 
fered. These  articles  of  capitulation,  being  satis- 
factory, were  accepted  by  the  Texans,  who  marched 
into  the  town,  raised  their  flag  and  took  possession 
of  the  fort. 

When  David  Crockett  arrived  at  the  Alamo,  early 
in  February,  1836,  he  found  Colonel  William  B. 
Travis  of  Alabama  in  command  ;  and  though  there 
were  barefy  150  men,  they  were  animated  with  the 
spirit  of  liberty,  determined  to  live  and  worship 
God  according  to  their  own  ideas  and  they  were 
willing  to  follow  their  leader,  even  unto  death. 

Colonel  Bowie  of  Louisiana  was  second  in  com- 
mand. He  was  a  most  interesting  character,  whose 
life  had  been  marked  by  danger  and  adventure. 
He  gave  Crockett  a  warm  welcome,  and  a  friend- 
ship immediately  sprang  up  between  the  two,  for 
they  had  much  in  common.  Crockett  looked  with 
wonder  at  the  long,  broad  knife  which  Colonel 
Bowie  used,  which  was  called  then,  and  is  known 
to  this  day  as  the  bowie  knife. 

Colonel  James   Bonham   of  South    Carolina,  a 


A  Fight  Within  a  Convent  Wall          53 

soldier  of  heroic  mould,  was  another  of  the  de- 
fenders. These  men  watched  by  day  and  by 
night  for  the  movements  of  the  unreliable  Santa 
Anna,  whom  even  the  Indians  hated,  and  they  were 
ready  with  their  clubs  and  tomahawks  to  fight  him. 

Finding  they  would  be  completely  surrounded  if 
they  remained  in  the  town,  caught  in  a  veritable 
death  trap,  the  little  band  of  Texans  held  a  council 
of  war  and  decided  to  go  at  once  to  the  fort,  whither 
they  had  sent  their  supplies.  They  swore  to  de- 
fend this  fort  to  the  last  minute  of  their  lives. 

As  they  entered  the  fort  and  raised  their  flag, 
the  old  walls  echoed  with  songs  and  cheers,  their 
strong  voices  accompanied  by  the  drum  and  fife, 
gave  no  evidence  of  fear  or  misgiving.  With 
laughter,  high  spirits  and  heroic  confidence  they 
took  their  places  behind  the  guns  at  the  embrasures 
in  the  walls  of  the  church,  keeping  a  vigilant  eye 
upon  the  approach  of  the  Mexicans. m 

On  the  twenty-second  day  of  February,  Santa 
Anna  in  person  arrived.  Without  delay  he  sent  a 
messenger  to  Colonel  Travis,  demanding  immediate 
surrender.  To  this  message  Travis  replied,  "  No  " 
by  the  boom  of  a  cannon. 

The  red  flag  of  the  Mexicans  then  went  up  on  the 
tower  of  San  Fernando  church  at  Bexar,  which  sig- 
nified "^Nq^xjjiarter,"  and  the  attack  of  the  Mexi- 
cans began,  systematically,  slowly,  deliberately,  end- 
ing only  on  the  eleventh  day  of  the  siege  of  the 
fort.  A  reinforcement  of  thirty-two  men  came  to 


54  Texas  Hero  Stories 

the  Texans  from  Gonzales  and  Colonel  Fannin  at 
Goliad  was  notified  of  the  desperate  condition  in 
the  fort,  and  he  sent  word  that  he  would  come  im- 
mediately with  assistance. 

Bowie  never  ceased  to  watch,  ready  with  his 
knife  and  gun,  though  he  was  confined  to  his  cot, 
ill  from  over-anxiety  and  exposure. 

On  the  27th  ten  bombs  were  thrown  into  the 
convent  yard,  doing  little  damage,  and  that  even- 
ing the  scouts  returned,  reporting  that  slaughter  for 
miles  around  was  indiscriminate.  Men,  women  and 
children  alike  were  butchered. 

The  enemy  increased  daily  in  numbers,  and  were 
coming  from  all  directions,  soon  to  surround  the 
fort.  This,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  brave 
Bowie  grew  worse  each  day,  was  enough  to  dis- 
hearten the  Texans,  but  they  remained  confident, 
their  courage  never  failing,  and  from  the  windows 
in  the  fort  rifle  balls  spat  defiance  at  the  Mexicans. 

On  the  second  day  of  March  the  declaration  of 
Texan  independence  was  framed  at  the  town  of 
Washington,  and  no  man  in  Texas  entered  more 
into  the  spirit  of  this  almighty  idea,  so  powerful  and 
extensive,  than  did  David  Crockett. 

Colonel  Travis  said  he  would  hold  the  fort  until 
he  received  relief  or  he  would  perish  in  the  attempt, 
but  he  could  not  realize  the  desperate  condition  of 
the  garrison.  The  Texans  gave  up  all  hope  of  re- 
ceiving assistance  from  Refugio  or  Goliad,  and  on 
the  fourth  day  of  March  Colonel  Travis,  brave  soul 


A  Fight  Within  a  Convent  Wall          55 

that  he  was,  told  his  men  that  "  in  case  the  enemy 
should  carry  the  fort,  to  fight  to  the  last  gasp  and 
render  their  victory  even  more  serious  to  them  than 
to  us."  He  gave  his  men  permission  to  leave  if 
they  wished,  and  then  drew  a  line  on  the  ground 
with  his  sword,  saying :  "  All  who  are  ready  to  die 
a  hero,  come  across  to  me."  All  save  one  man,  who 
escaped  over  the  wall,  promptly,  silently,  crossed 
the  line  beyond  which  lay  death.  Even  the  sick- 
Bowie  demanded  to  be  carried  across  oil  his  cot. 

The  Mexican  troops  had  increased  until  they 
numbered  between  five  and  six  thousand  men. 
They  surrounded  and  laid  siege  upon  the  Alamo  at 
dawn  Sunday,  the  sixth  day  of  March,  1836.  They 
brought  ladders,  axes  and  crowbars  with  which  to 
climb  upon  and  batter  the  walls. 

The  Texans,  with  pistols,  knives  and  rifles, 
fought  fearlessly  and  furiously,  killing  hundreds 
of  the  Mexicans.  The  battle  raged  with  fire  and 
blood  until  daybreak,  and  it  was  in  the  chapel  of 
the  fort  that  the  conflict  ended.  Piled  high  were 
the  dead  and  dying  Mexicans,  bloody  and  powder- 
stained. 

With  their  knives  buried  deep  in  the  throats  of 
'the  Mexicans,  guns  in  hand,  lay  the  Texas  soldiers  ; 
it  was  a  hand-to-hand  fight  at  the  last  and  the  foes 
died  face  to  face.  General  Castrillon,  a  Mexican 
officer,  was  not  a  coward,  and  he  had  noted  the 
fearlessness  of  the  Texans,  hoping  that  Santa  Anna 
would  cease  his  butchery ;  but  the  President  of 


56  Texas  Hero  Stories 

Mexico  in  a  fury  never  stopped  until  each  Texan 
was  a  martyr. 

The  Mexicans  swarmed  about  the  dead  patriots, 
leaped  upon  them,  pulled  them  into  the  mire  and 
dirt,  kicked  and  trod  upon  them,  burying  their 
bayonets  deep  into  the  faithful  hearts. 

The  light  of  the  morning  filled  the  chapel  and 
convent  yard,  but  it  was  the  light  of  the  Eternal 
morning  which  now  brightly  lighted  the  way  for 
those  who  were  a  self-sacrifice  absolute.  Bowie, 
lying  in  bed,  had  discharged  his  gun  and  used  his 
knife.  The  Mexicans  dared  not  approach  him,  but 
shot  him  from  behind  the  wall.  As  he  was  dying 
he  plunged  his  knife  into  the  heart  of  one  of  the 
Mexican  murderers.  Gallant  young  Travis  fell 
from  the  rampart  into  the  fort,  wounded  mortally. 
As  he  fell  a  Mexican  officer  tried  to  cut  off  his  head, 
but  Travis  quickly  drew  his  sword  and  both  per- 
ished. 

Every  defender  was  killed.  One  hundred  and 
eighty-two  men  fighting  more  than  five  thou- 
sand ! 

After  the  battle  General  Cos,  who  had  com- 
manded the  fort  when  it  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Mexicans,  mutilated  the  body  and  head  of  Colonel 
Travis  with  the  brutality  of  a  fiend,  then  waved  his 
tyrant's  sword  over  the  poor  mangled  remains  of 
the  hero  of  the  Alamo. 

Mrs.  Dickinson  and  the  negro  servant  of  Colonel 
Travis  were  the  only  lives  spared.  The  bodies  of 


A  Fight  Within  a  Convent  Wall          57 

the  defenders  of  the  Alamo  were  thrown  into  the 
chapel  and  barned.  In  the  immediate  siege  the 
Mexicans  lost  ahout  800  men,  though  from  the  time 
of  the  first  assault,  their  loss  was  more  than  1,500 
killed  and  wounded.  The  Texans  in  the  fort  had 
five  or  six  guns  to  each  man,  and  this,  with  their 
indomitable  courage  and  patriotism,  accounts  for  so 
immense  a  slaughter  by  so  small  a  number. 

Santa  Anna  sent  a  Mexican  officer  with  Mrs. 
Dickinson  and  the  servant  to  General  Houston,  of- 
fering "  peace  and  general  amnesty  if  they  would 
lay  down  their  arms  and  submit  to  his  govern- 
ment," to  which  General  Houston  replied :  ''  You 
have  killed  some  of  our  brave  men,  but  the  Texans 
are  not  yet  conquered."  He  also  sent  a  copy  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence-  agreed  upon  at  Wash- 
ington on  the  second  day  of  March,  1836. 

By  the  lifeless  body  of  David  Crockett  were  found 
his  coonskin  hunting  cap,  his  powder  horn  and  the 
remains  of  the  faithful  Betsy.  He  wore  the  fringed 
hunting  coat,  worn  on  many  a  deer  hunt,  and 
through  rain,  wind  and  snow  on  the  long  journey  to 
Texas. 

The  defenders  of  the  Alamo  were  as  brave  men 
as  ever  came  into  the  world.  Completely  in  ear- 
nest, loving  the  right  with  their  fiery  hearts,  giving 
their  last  drop  of  blood  in  its  defense,  they  passed 
to  the  immortals,  patriots  of  heroic  mould,  who  had 
served  with  fidelity  their  fellow  men  and  were  ready 
to  answer  to  God  in  eternity  for  their  use  of  time. 


SAM  HOUSTON, 


Measuring  Deer  Tracks  59 


MEASURING  DEER  TRACKS 

WHILE  the  name  of  Texas  lives  the  name  of 
Houston  will  live,  for  her  fame  is  his  fame.  Raised 
to  a  supreme  command  at  a  supreme  moment,  he 
was  entrusted  with  the  destiny  of  a  people. 

There  is  such  a  thing  on  earth  as  a  "  special  prov- 
idence "  and  the  interference  of  divine  power  in 
men's  affairs.  Providence  employs  certain  agents 
to  perform  certain  duties  which  fulfill  the  law  and 
complete  His  plan. 

Sam  Houston,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  char- 
acters in  the  annals  of  Anglo-Saxon  civilization, 
was  a  liberator,  a  preserver  of  the  most  valued  pos- 
session of  man,  and  as  a  great  leader  of  soldiers 
intent  upon  a  sacred  purpose,  he  was  an  inspiration. 
He  led  his  people  from  the  very  jaws  of  death  in 
a  battle  little  less  than  a  miracle  to  unquestioned 
victory. 

It  is  difficult  to  place  a  correct  estimate  upon 
Houston's  character.  He  was  among  the  greatest 
men  of  any  age,  and  did  completely  the  work  which 
God  appointed  him  to  do.  The  most  brilliant  page 
in  our  Texas  history  contains  the  record  of  the  pa- 
triotic service  of  Sam  Houston.  Profound  patriot 
and  statesman,  he  was  in  that  a  plain,  honest 


60  Texas  Hero  Stories 

manly  citizen,  who  believed  simply  and  earnestly  in 
his  country  and  her  institutions,  and  he  had  faith 
in  his  own  people. 

A  hundred  years  from  now  there  will  be  no  ro- 
mance, story  or  epic-poem  that  will  afford  a  more 
beautiful  subject  than  the  character,  mould  of  life 
and  accomplished  efforts  of  this  great  Texan. 
His  erratic  boyhood,  his  years  of  uncivilized  life 
among  the  Indians  and  his  peculiar  charm  and 
power  with  them ;  his  tender  love  for  his  mother 
and  remembrance  of  her,  at  the  same  time,  a  love 
for  freedom  and  wandering  and  to  be  near  Nature's 
heart;  his  life  and  hardships  as  a  soldier  and  as  a 
hero,  his  contests  in  the  halls  of  State  with  men  of 
opinions,  enmities,  frailties  and  human  passion,  all 
combine  in  a  wondrous  story,  thrilling,  daring  — 
and  true.  The  crucible  through  which  the  gold  of 
his  character  was  separated  from  the  dross  was  an 
ordeal  which  fitted  him  and  placed  him  as  an  agent 
of  Divine  Providence. 

Sam  Houston  was  born  at  Timber  Ridge  Church, 
seven  miles  east  of  Lexington,  Rockbridge  County, 
Virginia,  on  the  second  day  of  March,  1793.  The 
Houston  family,  on  both  sides,  was  of  Scotch  origin. 
They  were  all  refugees  in  the  north  of  Ireland  un- 
til after  the  siege  of  Kery,  in  which  they  took  part, 
when  they  emigrated  to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  American  Revolu- 
tion and  held  various  military  offices  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1807.  His  mother  was  attractive  in 


Measuring  Deer  Tracks  61 

person,  manner  and  mind,  and  her  influence  was 
seen  in  many  of  her  son's  characteristics.  She  had 
much  influence  over  him  and  could  understand  him 
as  few  others  could.  She  could  see  underneath  the 
daring,  brusque,  independent  exterior  and  was  the 
first  to  discover  the  wonderful  gifts  of  heart  and 
brain  which  later  so  endeared  her  son  to  his  coun- 
trymen. 

Self-reliance  developed  early  in  Sam  Houston 
and  to  such  extremes  did  he  go  in  the  practice  of 
depending  entirely  upon  himself,  asking  no  advice 
or  guidance  from  any  source,  that  older  heads 
prophesied  that  he  would  have  "  a  very  dangerous 
future  and  no  such  wilful  boy  could  come  to  a  good 
end."  But  their  prediction  in  no  sense  seemed  to 
worry  young  Sam,  and  when  his  mother  was  left  a 
widow  with  six  sons  and  three  daughters  and  had 
to  sell  the  old  home  and  move  many  miles  away, 
Sam  Houston  became  familiar  with  the  hardest 
work. 

The  new  home  was  about  eight  miles  from  the 
Tennessee  river,  which  was  then  the  boundary  line 
between  the  white  people's  territory  and  that  of 
the  Cherokee  Indians. 

There  flourished  in  East  Tennessee  a  good  school 
called  an  academy,  where  Sam  Houston  asked  the 
master  to  permit  him  to  study  Latin  and  the  short- 
sighted schoolmaster  refused.  Indignant  at  the 
refusal,  young  Houston  turned  from  his  presence 
and  solemnly  declared  that  "  he  would  never  recite 


62  Texas  Hero  Stories 

another  lesson  while  he  lived."  And  he  was  usually 
true  to  his  word.  But  he  did  not  declare  that  he 
would  never  study  again  while  he  lived,  for  he  loved 
to  read  and  .to  study,  and  as  good  books  fell  into 
his  hands  he  made  the  most  of  such  opportunity  and 
read  and  memorized  a  large  portion  of  a  translation 
of  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  world's  classics,  Hom- 
er's Iliad.  This  wonderful  story  gave  him  his  first 
knowledge  of  the  people  who  lived  in  ancient  times 
and  it  filled  his  heart  with  a  desire  to  be  a  soldier. 
He  referred  often  to  this  old  book,  and  when  he 
would  go  upon  a  long  journey  he  carried  it  with 
him  and  often  slept  with  it  under  his  pillow.  His 
older  brothers  had  never  read  this  great  book  and 
could  not  understand  what  joy  it  brought  to  their 
young  brother's  heart,  and  thinking  he  was  lazy 
and  did  not  want  to  work,  or  foolish  and  sentimen- 
tal, they  put  him  to  work  in  a  country  store. 

The  boy  who  loved  the  life  and  brave  adventure 
of  the  hero  of  the  Iliad  could  not  content  himself 
in  a  little  country  store  selling  tape,  pins  and  needles, 
so  he  ran  away,  across  the  Tennessee  river,  to  the 
Cherokee  Indians,  saying  that  he  would  "  rather 
measure  deer  tracks  than  tape."  And  this  decision 
to  go  to  the  Indians  influenced  every  day  of  his  life 
which  followed. 

He  did  not  forget  his  mother,  whom  he  loved 
very  much,  and  once  in  a  while  he  would  go  home 
to  see  her  and  she  would  mend  his  clothes  and  have 
long  talks  with  him,  and  the  two,  because  they  un- 


Measuring  Deer  Tracks  63 

derstood  each  other,  loved  each  other  very  much. 
This  wild  life  among  uncivilized  men  and  these 
wholesome  lessons  in  the  school  of  nature  prepared 
him  for  his  career  as  a  soldier,  a  diplomat  and  a 
benefactor  to  his  country  and  race. 

He  studied  the  character  of  the  savage,  his  grati- 
tude, his  revenge,  his  strange  notice  and  remem- 
brance of  small  favors,  his  great  love  and  his  in- 
tense hate,  and  so  perfectly  did  he  hold  sway  in  the 
savage  heart  that  years  afterwards,  when  Houston 
became  President  of  the  Republic  of  Texas,  not  one 
Indian  tribe  ever  violated  a  treaty.  He  mastered 
their  language,  learned  their  customs,  wore  their 
dress,  adopted  their  habits  and  lived  as  one  of  them. 

In  order  to  pay  some  debts  which  he  had  made 
before  going  to  the  Indians,  he  returned  to  his 
home,  sought  and  obtained  a  school  and  taught  it 
successfully.  He  studied  geometry  for  a  little 
while,  but  soon  gave  it  up,  not  caring  for  so  prac- 
tical and  "  unpoetic  "  a  study. 

In  1813,  when  the  United  States  was  at  war  with 
England,  Sam  Houston,  then  only  19  years  of  age, 
enlisted  at  Maryville,  Tenn.,  a  common  soldier  in  the 
United  States  army.  His  mother,  realizing  that 
it  was  his  great  desire  to  be  a  soldier,  encouraged 
and  helped  him  all  she  could,  and  told  him  to  "  make 
his  country  proud  of  him."  He  was  soon  made 
Sergeant,  then  Ensign  and  considered  the  best 
drilled  officer  in  the  company. 

In  the  remarkable  battle  of  Tohopeka,  or  "  Horse- 


64  Texas  Hero  Stories 

shoe  Bend,"  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Andrew 
Jackson,  Houston  received  a  wound  from  which  he 
suffered,  at  short  intervals,  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  a  period  of  fifty  years.  This  battle  was  one 
of  the  hardest  and  fiercest  contests  between  white 
men  and  Indians  on  record ;  it  was  bloody,  fierce, 
savage  warfare,  and  by  his  cool,  heroic  conduct  in 
each  phase  of  the  battle,  Sam  Houston  won  the  life- 
long admiration  of  the  great  Jackson,  who  in  after 
years  lost  no  opportunity  to  praise  him  and  to  give 
other  great  men  the  opportunity  to  know  him. 

In  a  letter  from  General  Jackson  to  President 
Thomas  Jefferson,  written  in  1823  from  the  Jackson 
home,  "  The  Hermitage,"  near  Nashville,  Term., 
Jackson  says :  "  I  entertain  for  Houston  the  high- 
est feeling  of  regard  and  confidence  —  he  has  at- 
tained his  high  standing  without  the  intrinsic  advan- 
tages of  fortune  or  education  and  has  sustained  in 
his  various  promotions  from  the  common  soldier  to 
Major  General,  the  character  of  the  high-minded 
and  honorable  man." 

So  severe  was  the  Tohopeka  wound  that  the 
young  Ensign  was  compelled  to  withdraw  from 
active  service.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  ap- 
pointed Lieutenant  of  the  first  regiment  of  infantry 
and  placed  at  New  Orleans,  where  his  troublesome 
and  dangerous  wound  was  treated.  He  endured 
suffering  from  the  painful  treatment  which  only  a 
constitution,  nerve  and  will  of  the  strongest  mould 
could  have  endured. 


Measuring  Deer  Tracks  65 

In  April,  1816,  he  visited  New  York  and  Wash- 
ington City,  and  -in  January,  1817,  he  was  called 
for  duty  to  the  Adjutant's  office  at  Nashville,  Tenn. 
For  a  few  months  he  served  in  this  office,  when  he 
was  appointed  under-agent  among  the  Cherokee  In- 
dians to  carry  out  the  treaty  that  had  just  been 
made  with  the  Cherokee  Nation.  During  the  time 
he  held  this  office  he  was  accused  of  "  having  pre- 
vented African  negroes  from  being  smuggled  into 
the  Western  States  from  Florida."  Florida  at  that 
time  was  a  province  of  Spain.  He  proved  that  he 
had  acted  in  accord  with  the  law  in  every  respect, 
and  he  went  with  a  delegation  of  Indians  to  Wash- 
ington, and  appearing  before  President  Monroe  and 
Secretary  of  War  John  C.  Calhoun,  made  a  splendid 
exhibit  of  what  he  had  done  and  what  he  believed 
to  be  right,  which  thoroughly  vindicated  him. 

In  disgust  he  resigned  the  sub-agency  and  giving 
up  his  lieutenancy  in  the  army,  went  to  Nash- 
ville and  began  to  study  law.  In  1818,  when  he 
was  25  years  of  age,  he  entered  the  law  office  of 
Hon.  James  Trimble.  He  had  sold  his  last  piece 
of  property  to  discharge  a  debt  which  he  had  con- 
tracted in  the  attempt  to  recover  from  his  wound, 
but  undaunted,  undismayed  by  the  gloomy  outlook, 
he  began  his  studies. 

So  quickly  did  he  grasp  the  spirit  and  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  the  law,  and  so  great  was  his 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  men  and  their  affairs, 
that  in  six  months  after  his  first  lesson  his  teacher 


66  Texas  Hero  Stories 

recommended  that  he  apply  for  a  license.  Having 
successfully  stood  the  usual  searching  examination 
he  procured  a  small  library  and  opened  an  office  in 
Lebanon,  Tenn.  In  that  same  year  he  was  elected 
District  Attorney  for  the  Davidson  district,  making 
it  necessary  that  he  should  reside  in  Nashville.  He 
was  appointed  Adjutant  General  of  Tennessee,  and 
in  1821  was  elected  Major  General  by  the  field  offi- 
cers of  the  division,  which  comprised  two-thirds  of 
the  State. 

Although  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  prose- 
cuting attorney  were  new  to  him  he  rarely  failed 
in  a  prosecution,  and,  confronting  the  legal  talent  of 
one  of  the  best  bars  in  the  United  States,  with  prac- 
tical sense  and  a  ready  insight,  he  met  their  argu- 
ments and  decisions ;  though  at  the  end  of  twelve 
months  he  resigned,  he  had  "  made  his  mark  "  as  a 
lawyer  in  Tennessee. 

Had  he  continued  at  the  practice  of  law  he  could 
have  quickly  risen  to  a  place  among  the  great  law- 
yers of  the  world,  but  politics  had  a  charm  for  him, 
so  in  1823,  he  was  elected,  without  opposition,  to  a 
seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
States.  With  him  in  this  first  term  were  some  of 
the  ablest  men  who  have  ever  sat  in  our  National 
Congress.  He  was  returned  to  Congress  by  unani- 
mous vote  a  second  time.  In  1827  he  was  elected 
Governor  of  Tennessee  by  a  majority  of  over  12,000. 
This  was  an  immense  majority  considering  the  pop- 
ulation of  Tennessee  at  that  time.  He  was  now  in 


Measuring  Deer  Tracks  67 

the  very  zenith  of  his  power  and  the  confidence  of 
the  people  knew  no  bounds.  No  man  in  Tennessee 
exercised  greater  influence  over  the  minds  of  the 
people. 

He  had  been  elected  practically  by  acclamation 
District  Attorney,  Major  General,  member  of  Con- 
gress and  Governor  of  a  grand  State,  now  he  calmly 
and  deliberately  gave  up  every  future  opportunity 
for  distinction  in  Tennessee,  resigned  the  office  of 
Governor  and  immediately  went  into  exile. 

The  cause  of  this  strange  and  unheard-of  action 
on  the  part  of  General  Houston  was  one  which  lay 
very  near  his  heart.  It  was  a  personal  and  a  do- 
mestic affair  and  one  which  was  his  own  and  in  no 
sense  concerned  the  people.  He  never  discussed 
the  cause  of  his  exile  or  permitted  it  to  be  discussed 
in  his  presence.  It  concerned  himself  and  one  other 
person  for  whom  he  felt  the  highest  regard  and 
whose  fair  name  he  ever  protected. 

With  the  same  courage  with  which  he  challenged 
death  on  the  battlefield,  the  endurance  which  had 
sustained  him  during  painful  and  lingering  wounds 
with  a  mould  of  decision  and  deliberation  belonging 
alone  to  Sam  Houston,  he  gave  up  everything  that 
was  dear  to  him  and  that  offered  power  and  —  re- 
turned to  the  Indians. 

Upon  Sam  Houston's  decision  to  go  into  exile 
hang  some  of  the  remarkable  events  of  modern 
history.  The  same  old  chief  who  had  adopted  him 
and  protected  him  when  he  was  a  run-away  boy 


68  Texas  Hero  Stories 

now  held  out  his  arms  to  him,  opened  his  wigwam 
and  welcomed  "  The  Rover"  lovingly  to  his  forest 
home  in  the  land  of  the  Arkansas. 

^He  sat  at  their  council  fires,  gave  them  advice 
which  they  always  accepted,  and  he  watched  with 
keen  eye  the  outrages  that  had  been  perpetrated 
upon  them  as  a  race  and  a  people  and  the  wrongs 
heaped  upon  them  by  selfish  officials.  He  deter- 
mined to  go  to  Washington  and  make  protest.  In 
1832  he  went  to  Washington  and  through  General 
Jackson  procured  the  removal  of  five  agents  and 
sub-agents  and  secured  a  thorough  government  in- 
vestigation of  Indian  affairs.  Having  attained  the 
purpose  of  his  visit  nothing  could  persuade  him 
from  returning  to  his  red-skinned  friends  who  anx- 
iously waited  for  him. 

Sam  Houston  had  watched  with  quiet  interest 
the  struggle  being  made  by  the  Americans  to  oc- 
cupy Texas,  and  he  sympathized  deeply  with  the 
suffering  of  his  fellow  men.  The  Comanche  In- 
dians were  feared  by  the  whites  and  all  of  the  In- 
dian tribes.  They  were  very  powerful  and  so  hos- 
tile to  every  foe  that  emigration  of  the  other  tribes 
was  made  impossible.  It  was  decided  that  a  treaty 
of  peace  must  be  secured,  for  that  and  that  alone 
would  protect  emigration.  General  Jackson  had  re- 
quested Houston  to  confer  with  the  Comanches  and 
to  advise  them  to  send  a  delegation  to  Fort  Gibson 
on  the  Arkansas  river,  with  a  purpose  of  later  visit- 


Measuring  Deer  Tracks  69 

ing  Washington  City.  The  Choctaws,  Chickasaws 
and  Creeks  all  feared  the  Comanches. 

On  the  first  day  of  December,  1832,  Houston, 
with  a  few  companions  left  his  Indian  home  in 
Arkansas  and  started  through  the  wilderness  for 
Fort  Towson.  At  Nacogdoches,  Texas,  he  made 
report  of  his  mission  to  the  authorities  and  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  San  Felipe  de  Austin,  the  capital 
of  Austin's  colorfy.  From  here,  according  to  Gen- 
eral Jackson's  plan,  he  continued  to  San  Antonio 
de  Bexar,  where  he  interviewed  the  Comanches. 

While  at  San  Antonio  and  upon  his  return  to  San 
Felipe  he  obtained  a  foresight  into  Texan  and  Mex- 
ican affairs,  the  awful  tyranny  and  oppression  of 
Mexico  and  the  pitiful  condition  of  the  Texans. 
His  mind  was  stimulated  to  action,  he  boldly  de- 
termined to  fight  with  the  Texans,  and  began  at 
once  to  make  plans  for  their  freedom  and  rights. 
Upon  his  return  to  Nacogdoches  he  was  notified  of 
his  election  as  a  delegate  to  the  convention  which 
was  to  be  held  at  San  Felipe  in  April,  1833,  which 
convention  he  attended.  At  this  convention  a  con- 
stitution was  adopted  and  the  delegates  hoped  that 
it  would  be  acceptable  to  the  Mexican  government, 
but  Austin's  mission  to  Mexico  asking  that  it  be 
accepted  failed  entirely.  Instead,  the  Mexican 
Federal  government  became  more  and  more  intol- 
erable and  inhuman  and  the  Texans  were  roused  to 
immediate  resistance  A  consultation  for  safety, 


7O  Texas  Hero  Stories 

composed  of  selected  delegates,  was  held  at  Wash- 
ington on  the  Brazos  and  afterwards  at  San  Felipe. 
All  the  Texas  forces  were  consolidated.  A  pro- 
visional declaration  of  independence  was  made  and 
a  Governor  and  Lieutenant  Governor  appointed. 

Then  it  was  that  the  event  occurred  which  de- 
cided the  destiny  of  Texas.  General  Sam  Houston 
was  elected  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  of 
Texas.  After  repeated  attempts  to  capture  Mata- 
moras  and  to  hold  San  Antonio,  the  struggling 
desperate  Texans  in  convention  at  Washington  on 
the  Brazos  declared  Texas  independence  on  the 
second  day  of  March,  1836,  General  Houston's 
birthday.  This  convention  made  him  General  in 
Chief  and  created  a  provisional  government  based 
upon  a  regular,  well-prepared  constitution  remarka- 
ble for  some  of  its  points  and  wise  conditions. 

Upon  the  adjournment  of  the  convention  General 
Houston  hurried  to  gather  the  forces  between  the 
Brazos  and  the  Guadalupe  rivers.  Santa  Anna  was 
advancing  from  the  west  with  a  well  disciplined 
army  in  three  strong  divisions.  As  well  as  Hous- 
ton could,  with  what  forces  he  could  gather,  he  re- 
treated before  the  main  division  of  Santa  Anna's 
army,  his  scouts  constantly  reporting  to  him  the  ac- 
tion of  the  enemy. 

He  pursued  the  policy  of  retreat  and  delay  until 

'he  reached  the  bend  of  the  San  Jacinto  river,  to 

which  point  he  was  sure  Santa  Anna  would  follow 

him,  where  he  would  be  out  of  reach  of  the  other 


Measuring  Deer  Tracks  71 

two  divisions  of  his  army.  Thus  cutting  off  all 
retreat  or  escape,  Houston  determined  to  win  or  to 
die.  With  fresh  memories  of  butcheries  which  had 
outraged  human  thought  and  feeling,  under  the 
magic  influence  of  the  hope  for  liberty  too  long 
delayed  and  under  the  inspiration  of  a  commander 
in  a  battle  which  gained  victory  in  fifteen  minutes 
-  for  Houston,  like  Napoleon,  understood  the  value 
of  time  —  the  invincible  Texans  destroyed  Santa 
Anna's  army,  twice  the  size  of  their  own,  and  cap- 
tured the  President  of  Mexico  himself.  Numbers 
engaged  have  been  larger,  equipment  has  been  bet- 
ter, but  no  other  battle  of  such  results  in  so  short  a 
time  with  such  foes  to  meet  is  on  historical  record. 

It  is  not  the  number  of  men,  the  fury  or  direct- 
ness of  the  attack,  not  the  number  of  the  forces 
charging,  for  enormous  armies  may  fight  indecisive 
battles  and  battles  which  in  no  sense  mark  eras 
in  history,  but  it  is  results  that  give  to  a  battle  its  im- 
portance to  a  nation  or  to  the  world.  Texan  liberty 
and  independence  were  established. 

After  San  Jacinto,  the  provisional  government  of 
which  David  G.  Burnet  was  president  was  busy  con- 
trolling the  army  in  the  field,  disposing  of  Santa 
Anna  and  organizing  the  republic. 

At  the  election  for  president,  Sam  Houston,  with 
great  rejoicing,  was  chosen  the  first  constitutional 
president  of  the  republic,  continuing  in  office  two 
years.  He  gave  one  term's  service  to  the  Texan 
Congress  and  from  1841  to  1845  he  again  served  the 


72  Texas  Hero  Stones 

republic  as  President.  His  administrations  were 
marked  by  his  great  ability  in  making  and  retain- 
ing peace  with  the  Indian  tribes  and  in  maintaining 
peaceful  relations  with  foreign  countries.  His  deal- 
ings with  Santa  Anna,  the  president  of  Mexico, 
were  marked  by  a  tact,  pointedness,  a  touch  of 
sarcasm  and  withal  a  glorious  patriotism. 

Houston  greatly  favored  the  admission  of  Texas 
into  the  Union  and  when  Texas  became  one  of 
the  United  States,  in  1845,  ne  was  elected  to  the 
United  States  Senate,  serving  until  the  fifth  day  of 
March,  1857.  Some  of  the  most  vital  of  our  na- 
tional issues  were  discussed  during  his  period  of 
office,  among  them  the  Mexican  war  and  its 
causes,  the  "  Omnibus  bill,"  the  "  Kansas  and  Ne- 
braska bill,"  and  so  able  and  clear  were  his  discus- 
sions that  they  placed  him  abreast  with  the  other 
great  men  of  his  age. 

In  1857  H.  R.  Runnels  defeated  him  for  Gov- 
ernor of  Texas  and  in  1859  ne  defeated  Runnels  for 
the  same  office. 

In  1 86 1  Lincoln  was  elected  President  of  the 
United  States,  the  war  between  the  States  was  be- 
gun, and  many  of  the  Southern  States  were  leaving 
the  Union.  The  Texas  people  so  thoroughly  sym- 
pathized with  the  South  and  the  principles  taught  by 
the  South  that  for  the  first  time  they  would  not 
listen  to  Houston,  who  was  opposed  to  Texas  leav- 
ing the  Union.  A  convention  sat  at  Austin  in  Jan- 
uary, 1861,  which  provided  for  a  declaration  of 


Measuring  Deer  Tracks  73 

secession,  which  was  submitted  to  the  people  on 
the  twenty-third  day  of  February,  1861.  Houston 
would  not  attend  the  convention,  being  heartily  and 
honestly  opposed  to  the  secession  of  Texas,  so  the 
people  "  declared  his  office  vacant."  Many,  many 
of  his  friends  wished  to  sustain  him  in  office,  but 
desiring  to  avoid  all  difficulties  which  might  result 
from  force,  he  quietly  gave  it  up. 

In  the  speeches  made  by  Houston  in  the  years 
1860-1861  he  shows  a  wonderful  knowledge  of  the 
political  condition  of  the  North  and  the  South,  and 
his  prophecies  in  regard  to  the  war  came  literally 
true.  Though  Texas  left  the  Union  against  his 
will,  he  never  ceased  to  love  her,  but  said :  "  I  am 
for  Texas,  whatever  she  may  do,  I  love  my  State 
best."  One  of  his  sons,  with  his  consent,  entered 
the  Confederate  army. 

He  became  a  private  citizen  of  Huntsville  and  his 
latter  days  were  spent  sadly  and  silently  watching 
the  bloody  conflict  between  the  United  States  and 
the  Confederate  States  of  America,  which  national 
strife  and  the  unhappy  conditions  in  its  train  cer- 
tainly shortened  his  life.  On  a  summer  Sunday 
evening,  on  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  July,  1863,  sur- 
rounded by  his  beloved  family  and  a  few  friends 
and  neighbors,  his  charmed,  strange  life  went  out. 
His  remains  rest  at  Huntsville. 

The  city  of  Houston,  beautiful  metropolis,  sit- 
uated on  Buffalo  Bayou,  about  twenty-one  miles 
from  the  San  Jacinto  battlefield,  is  named  in  honor 


74  Texas  Hero  Stories 

of  General  Houston.  It  is,  with  its  splendid  schools, 
magnificent  churches,  homes,  sanitariums,  Sam 
Houston  Park,  broad  streets,  busy  market,  rilled 
with  evidences  of  a  thriving  commercial  life, 
and  last,  but  not  least,  its  adoring  citizenship, 
who  feel  that  their  city  is  destined  to  be  the  greatest 
in  this  great  State,  a  tribute  to  the  great  man  for 
whom  it  is  named,  and  convinces  us  that  after  all 
there  is  "  something  in  a  name." 

The  grave  of  Texas'  great  chieftain  at  Hunts- 
ville  is  marked  with  a  simple  slab  inscribed  with 
his  name  and  the  date  of  his  birth  and  death.  There 
stands  in  Statuary  Hall  in  the  National  Capitol, 
also  in  our  State  Capitol  at  Austin,  a  statue  of 
Houston,  erected  by  the  State  of  Texas  and  exe- 
cuted by  Elisabet  Ney,  the  Texas  sculptor,  but 
there  should  be  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  Sam 
Houston  in  every  town  in  Texas  where  a  school  boy 
or  girl  lives.  Cannot  the  boys  and  girls  of  Texas 
make  this  their  especial  pride  and  as  true  pa- 
triots, having  learned  of  his  great  service,  unsel- 
fishly given  and  with  no  reward,  begin  to  erect  mon- 
uments in  their  school  yards  or  on  the  public 
squares  that  men  for  years  to  come,  seeing,  may 
understand  that  the  boys  and  girls  of  Texas  know 
the  history  of  their  State  and  give  honor  to  him  who 
first  honored  us.  Let  us  begin  the  work  and  never 
stop  until  our  efforts  shall  be  crowned  with  success 
and  we  have  "  erected  memorials  to  him  who  did 
deliver  us." 


Fifteen  Minutes  of  Destiny  75 


FIFTEEN  MINUTES  OF  DESTINY 

IT  is  natural  that  we  should  consider  Santa  Anna 
a  monster  —  a  hideous,  diabolical,  veritable  living 
fiend !  It  would  be  well  for  us  to  consider  the  race 
from  which  he  sprang,  his  training,  his  surround- 
ings, the  men  of  his  race  for  generations  who  pre- 
ceded him,  and  that  he  was  the  exponent  of  this 
race  since  the  days  of  the  conquest  by  Cortez. 

His  massacres  at  the  Alamo  and  at  Goliad  were 
the  fulfilling  of  his  great  boast  that  he  would  kill 
every  man,  woman  and  child  who  spoke  English 
whom  he  found  west  of  the  Sabine  River  and  it 
certainly  looked  for  a  time  as  though  he  would  ac- 
complish this  threat. 

Santa  Anna  was  a  brilliant,  vain  Mexican  ras- 
cal. In  a  manner  audacious,  shrewd  and  absolutely 
without  scruple  of  conscience,  he  had  placed  him- 
self at  the  head  of  the  affairs  of  his  country.  He 
had  ability,  that  has  never  been  doubted,  but 
with  that  ability  was  enormous  wickedness.  This 
able,  bad  man,  had,  five  times,  brought  Mexico  into 
his  power  and  five  times  he  had  been  literally  thrown 
out,  despised  by  his  people. 

His  successful  battles  in  Mexico  prior  to  1836 
made  him  think  he  was  the  greatest  soldier  in  the 


76  Texas  Hero  Stories 

world  and  he  demanded  in  his  vanity  that  his  fol- 
lowers should  call  him  "  the  Napoleon  of  the 
West."  Either  in  person  or  through  his  officers  he 
had  mistreated  every  foe  and  it  was  his  practice, 
understood  by  his  soldiers,  to  butcher  every  captive. 
He  had  kept  down  literally  to  the  earth  his  own 
people  by  murder  and  tyranny  and  he  knew  no  other 
methods.  He  supposed,  of  course,  that  in  time  he 
could  so  subdue  the  Texans.  This  was  a  miscalcu- 
lation, because  the  Anglo-Saxon,  who  loves  law 
and  liberty  above  his  own  life,  who  hates  interfer- 
ence in  any  form  with  his  personal  rights  and  who 
will  not  tolerate  any  interference,  may  be  burned 
or  slaughtered,  but  will  not  be  bound  in  fetters ! 

There  could  have  existed  no  greater  difference 
than  that  between  the  Mexicans  and  their  con- 
querors !  The  Texans  were  not  weakened  and  in- 
:  timidated  over  the  massacres  at  the  Alamo  and  at 
Goiiad  ;  they  were  furious  ! 

On  the  sixth  day  of  March,  1836,  at  the  Alamo, 
i  the  powerful  Mexican  army  under  Santa  Anna,  cap- 
tured the  few  brave  men  who  composed  the  garri- 
son and  stood  out,  marvels  of  personal  courage  and 
endurance,  through  eleven  days  of  hardest  fighting. 

Every  man  was  butchered !  It  was  in  the  Alamo 
that  Travis,  Bonham,  Bowie  and  Crockett  fell !  And 
certainly  the  Texans  would  "  Remember  the 
Alamo." 

On  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  March,  at  Goiiad, 
after  heroic  resistance  of  the  little  band  of  Texans 


Fifteen  Minutes  of  Destiny  77 

under  Fannin,  Santa  Anna,  after  disarming  them, 
with  his  usual  fiendish  cruelty  shot  them  dead  to  a 
man !  Fannin  and  his  brave  men  quenched  for  a 
time  the  thirst  for  Texas  blood. 

Certainly  the  Texans  would  "  Remember 
Goliad !  "  So  far  as  Sam  Houston  and  his  army 
of  frontiersmen,  farmers,  hunters,  herdsmen,  Tex- 
ans, could  see,  they  were  only  avenging  the 
butcheries  of  the  Alamo  and  Goliad,  demanding  the 
price  of  the  blood  of  the  noble  men  sacrificed  at 
the  hands  of  Mexican  murderers,  but  Sam  Houston 
and  these  riflemen  at  San  Jacinto  were  building 
more  securely  than  they  knew,  for  in  a  good  deal 
less  than  a  half  hour  on  the  twenty-first  day  of 
April,  1836,  750  Texans  met  1,800  Mexicans  and  in 
a  single  attack  settled  an  issue  which  affected  all 
of  America.  San  Jacinto  opened  wide  the  gates  of 
history  through  which  enormous  events  were  to 
pass. 

San  Jacinto  gave  the  untold  wealth  of  the  Cali- 
fornia gold  mines  to  the  Americans  instead  of  the 
Mexicans. 

It  established  the  English  language  instead  of 
the  Spanish  in  that  superb  area  of  country  from 
the  Sabine  River  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

By  this  battle  more  than  a  million  square  miles 
of  territory  were  added  to  the  Anglo-Saxons,  to 
be  controlled  by  their  laws,  their  customs  and  their 
institutions,  to  be  dominated  by  their  individuality 
and  their  principles  and  forever  did  this  battle  throw 


7&  Texas  Hero  Stories 

off  the  ignorant,  feeble,  decayed,  tyrannical  govern- 
ment of  Mexico !  This  battle  gave  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race  one  more  superb  opportunity  to  show 
their  power  and  ability  to  rule  the  world,  and  it 
will  probably  be  years  before  the  moral  effect  of  the 
battle  can  be  properly  estimated,  for,  as  time  passes 
it  is  revealed  to  us  that  this  was  a  battle  for  coming 
ages  and  coming  generations ;  it  was  the  herald  and 
the  triumphant  forerunner  of  glorious  advancement 
and  moving  forward  of  our  American  people. 

San  Jacinto  was  legitimate  warfare !  A  bloody, 
persistent,  even  savage  campaign,  to  close  with 
magnificent  victory ! 

Houston  and  his  fearless  soldiers  sounded  the 
volley  at  San  Jacinto  which  made  Texas  an  inde- 
pendent Republic,  freeing  her  forever,  for  in 
fifteen  minutes  the  Mexican  lines  were  wiped 
out  and  a  battle  of  destiny  was  fought  which  turned 
the  tide  of  American  history.  With  a  thunderous 
crash  the  Texans  hurled  themselves  at  the  Mexican 
lines  the  moment  they  came  in  sight.  They  shouted 
and  shot  as  they  ran,  attacking  an  army  more  than 
twice  the  size  of  their  own  and  in  a  glorious  rush  of 
valor  the  Mexican  army  was  torn  up  as  though  by 
lightning. 

Texas  was  fifty  days  old  that  day.  Personal  and 
political  right  must  be  preserved  and  the  business  of 
the  Texans  at  this  battle  was  to  conquer  forever 
that  horde  of  murderers  whose  hands  were  still 
stained  with  the  blood  of  the  slaughter  of  defense- 


Fifteen  Minutes  of  Destiny  79 

less  men  and  who  were  hungry  to  slaughter  more. 

The  twenty-first  day  of  April,  1836,  found  Sam 
Houston  and  750  Texans  and  Santa  Anna 'with  his 
well  equipped  army,  more  than  twice  the  number 
of  the  Texans,  encamped  within  a  mile  of  each 
other  at  San  Jacinto,  near  the  banks  of  Buffalo 
Bayou,  about  twenty-one  miles  from  the  present 
city  of  Houston. 

Houston's  movements  had  been  so  slow,  as  he 
persisted  in  the  policy  of  retreat  and  delay,  that  the 
Texans  were  horrified;  the  bravest  men  were 
alarmed,  and  men,  women  and  children  in  panic 
were  fleeing  from  the  very  sound  of  the  name  Santa 
Anna.  Houston's  retreat  began  on  the  thirteenth 
day  of  March  and  he  slowly  marched  from  Gon- 
zales  to  the  Colorado,  thence  to  the  several  points 
on  the  Brazos ;  the  enemy  w*  as  close  behind  him, 
and  the  people  in  terror  had  begun  to  wonder  what 
to  expect  and  if  they  would  be  protected  by  the 
Texan  army. 

Santa  Anna,  believing  himself  to  be  invincible, 
all-powerful,  unconquerable  and  more  and  more 
"  puffed  up "  over  his  slaughters  of  defenseless 
Americans,  had  allowed  his  army  to  scatter.  His 
order  to  his  army  was  to  possess  the  country  and  to 
shoot  every  man  who  resisted.  The  Mexican  army 
was  in  three  divisions :  Santa  Anna  accompanied  the 
so-called  central  division,  commanded  by  Generals 
Sesma  and  Filisola,  which  had  been  following  Hous- 
ton upon  his  retreat.  So  sure  was  Santa  Anna  that 


8o  Texas  Hero  Stories 

the  Texans  were  in  his  power  that  he  left  the  main 
army  on  the  Brazos  and  with  about  one  thousand 
men  went  to  Harrisburg  expecting  to  capture  Presi- 
dent Burnet  and  his  cabinet. 

Finding  Harrisburg  deserted,  he  burned  the 
town  and  marched  rapidly  to  Washington,  which 
village  he  also  burned.  It  was  his  intention  to 
pursue  the  President  and  his  cabinet  to  Galveston, 
take  them  prisoners,  and  in  triumph  declare  the 
war  at  an  end,  but  while  his  army  was  making 
ready  to  take  the  ferry  at  Lynchburg  (Lynch's 
Ferry)  the  return  of  a  scout  reported  the  near  ap- 
proach of  Houston  and  the  Texans.  Thus  was 
Santa  Anna  completely  taken  by  surprise  and  sep- 
arated from  his  army. 

The  few  hundred,  faithful,  earnest  Texans,  with 
their  chief,  made  preparation  for  the  battle,  giving 
close  attention  to  the  smallest  details,  neglecting 
nothing.  The  day  was  fine  ;  no  clouds  were  in  sight. 
They  took  their  simple  morning  meal  and  General 
Houston  with  pride  and  confidence,  with  no  doubt 
or  misgiving  surveyed  his  army.  He  instructed  the 
fearless,  cool-headed  Deaf  Smith,  scout,  to  procure 
two  good  axes  from  the  commissary,  to  hide  them 
in  a  safe  place,  easy  to  reach,  where  upon  a  mo- 
ment's notice  he  could  bring  them  out  for  use.  He 
gave  Smith  specific  instructions  not  to  pass  the  lines 
of  the  sentinels  without  orders. 

In  the  direction  of  Santa  Anna's  camp,  over  the 
high  waving  grass  of  the  prairie,  could  be  seen  a 


Fifteen  Minutes  of  Destiny  81 

great  force  which  had  arrived  to  join  the  Mexi- 
cans. There  was  moving  and  stirring  in  the  Mex- 
ican camp  and  the  Texans  became  excited  and 
much  concerned. 

General  Houston  well  knew  the  effect  that  this 
would  have  upon  the  spirits  of  his  men,  so  he  cas- 
ually told  them  that  what  seemed  to  be  reinforce- 
ments of  the  enemy  were  the  same  Mexicans  whom 
they  had  seen  the  day  before  who  were  just  march- 
ing up  and  down  and  "  round  and  round  "  in  order 
to  alarm  the  Texas  soldiers;  that  it  was  just  a 
Mexican  trick  and  Santa  Anna  didn't  want  to  fight. 
At  the  same  time  General  Houston  sent  Deaf  Smith 
and  one  comrade  with  strictest  confidential  orders 
to  reconnoiter  to  the  rear  of  that  new  Mexican 
force,  make  investigations  and  return  quietly  to 
him.  The  messengers  returned  reporting  to  the 
soldiers  that  the  General  was  right,  it  was  all  a 
Mexican  trick,  but  to  the  ear  of  the  anxious  Gen- 
eral they  made  another  and  a  very  different  report. 
The  facts  were  that  General  Cos  had  come  by 
forced  marches  with  more  than  five  hundred  men 
to  reinforce  Santa  Anna. 

The  secret  was  kept  from  the  Texas  soldiers  and 
a  council  of  war  immediately  called  beneath  the 
great  moss-draped,  ivy-covered  oaks  at  San  Ja- 
cinto,  the  members  seated  in  the  broad  shade  on 
the  grass.  The  council,  consisting  of  six  field  offi- 
cers, and  the  general  in  chief,  determined  upon 
battle. 


82  Texas  Hero  Stories 

General  Houston  saw  that  the  men  were  eager 
for  attack,  they  were  restless  and  ready,  so,  calling 
Deaf  Smith  and  his  companion  to  him,  he  went 
with  them  to  the  place  where  the  axes  were  se- 
creted that  morning.  Handing  an  axe  to  each  of 
these  trusted,  selected  men,  he  said :  "  Take  these 
axes,  make  the  best  of  your  way  to  Vince's  bridge, 
cut  it  up  and  come  back  like  eagles  or  you  will 
lose  the  day."  The  cutting  down  of  Vince's  bridge 
prevented  all  opportunity  of  escape,  since  both  arm- 
ies had  crossed  it  in  order  to  reach  the  battle  ground. 
It  spanned  Vince's  Bayou,  a  deep,  dark  stream  which 
emptied  into  Buffalo  Bayou. 

General  Houston  waited  until  near  3  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  when  he  made  a  charge  which  in- 
spired every  Texan,  and  with  the  air  wild  with  the 
cry,  "  Remember  the  Alamo !  "  "  Remember  Go- 
liad !  "  the  Mexicans,  who  had  not  seemed  anxious 
to  come  to  an  engagement  and  were  hiding  behind 
breastworks  or  taking  their  "  evening  nap,"  gave 
way  in  terror  at  the  boldness  of  the  charge.  At 
this  very  moment  Deaf  Smith  rode  madly  up,  his 
horse  covered  with  mire  and  foam  and  waving  an 
axe  over  his  head,  cried  with  the  voice  of  a  savage : 
"  I  have  cut  down  Vince's  Bridge !  Fight  for  your 
lives  and  remember  the  Alamo !  " 

The  cavalry  was  first  sent  to  the  front  with  no 
protection  whatever  for  the  Texas  soldiers  who 
advanced  through  the  prairie  in  steady  line.  The 
artillery  stopped  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the 


Fifteen  Minutes  of  Destiny  83 

enemy's  breastworks.  The  "  twin  sisters,"  the  two 
pieces  of  artillery,  the  gift  of  the  City  of  Cincin- 
nati to  the  Republic,  kept  up  a  continuous  firing  of 
grape  shot  and  canister,  shattering  and  shivering 
wherever  they  struck. 

General  Houston  spurred  his  horse  into  the  very 
breast  of  the  foe,  as  the  Texans  now  rushed  in 
solid  phalanx  upon  the  Mexicans.  As  the  Texans 
neared  to  within  sixty  paces,  the  Mexicans,  lined 
up  in  perfect  order,  sent  a  heavy  storm  of  bul- 
lets, but  they  were  sent  too  high  and  sped  over  the 
heads  of  the  Texans,  doing  little  or  no  damage. 
General  Houston  was  wounded  in  the  ankle  and 
his  horse  was  shot.  When  there  was  no  more  am- 
munition, the  rifles  were  converted  into  war  clubs 
and  the  Texans  dealt  blows  at  the  heads  of  their 
foes. 

This  was  followed  by  a  hand  to  hand,  face  to 
face  conflict,  the  Texans  splintering  their  muskets 
on  the  heads  of  the  Mexicans.  The  Texans,  after 
firing  one  shot  from  their  pistols,  did  not  stop  to 
reload,  but  threw  the  heavy  clumsy  iron  at  the  skull 
of  some  Mexican.  Then  they  drew  their  bowie 
knives  and  cut,  slashed  and  dug  deep  into  every 
Mexican's  flesh  within  reach.  Trampling  upon  the 
dead,  rushing  madly  over  the  groaning  and  the  dy- 
ing, stabbing  to  the  heart  those  not  already  dead, 
they  flew  after  those  Mexicans  who  tried  to  escape 
and  stabbed  them  in  the  back. 

At  this  stage  of  the  battle  as  the  twilight  ap- 


84  Texas  Hero  Stories 

proached,  the  Mexicans  began  to  "  remember  the 
Alamo "  and  to  "  remember  Goliad."  They  saw 
something  of  what  their  massacre  meant  to  the 
Texans  and  they  cried :  "  Me  no  Alamo !  "  "  Me  no 
Goliad !  "  By  denying  participation  they  hoped  to 
gain  mercy. 

In  no  sense  were  the  Mexicans  cowards  on  this, 
day,  there  were  fearless  charges  made  by  them  upon 
the  Texas  lines. 

When  the  Texas  infantry  was  charged  by  a 
Mexican  division  of  infantry,  General  Houston 
realizing  the  perilous  condition  of  his  men,  dashed 
to  the  front  of  the  line  shouting:  "Come  on,  my 
brave  fellows,  your  General  leads  you !  "  The  right 
and  left  wings  of  the  Mexican  army  had  been  scat- 
tered before  the  central  breastworks  were  taken. 
Many  Mexicans  fled  from  the  pursuing  Texans, 
each  bent  on  saving  himself  individually,  and  they 
staggered,  fainted  and  fell  in  the  oozy,  swampy 
grass.  General  Houston  was  forced  to  give  im- 
perative commands  that  the  tortures  to  the  wounded 
cease,  for  the  Texans  so  well  "  remembered  the 
Alamo "  that  they  demanded  their  price  in  flesh 
and  blood. 

When  the  flying  Mexicans,  hotly  pursued  by  the 
Texans,  reached  Vince's  Bayou  and  found  that  the 
bridge  was  gone,  in  desperation  they  clung  to  the 
hanks  or  plunged  into  the  dark,  muddy  waters, 
sinking  to  the  bottom.  The  few  who  succeeded  in 
getting  across  fell  backward  into  the  water,  shot. 


Fifteen  Minutes  of  Destiny  85 

as  they  fell  by  some  Texan.  The  sound  of  the 
black,  blood-stained  stream  was  accompanied  by  the 
gurgles,  gasps  and  groans  of  the  dying. 

Where  the  Mexicans  had  been  in  camp  near  the 
"  island  of  the  great  trees,"  there  was  another  scene, 
ghastly,  strange  and  horrible.  In  their  terror,  as  a 
very  last  means  of  escape,  some  of  the  Mexicans 
had  rushed  to  this  spot ;  the  low  marshy  ground 
under  the  trees  was  very  deep,  and  as  the  horses 
with  their  riders  plunged  into  the  mire,  they  were 
instantly  covered  over.  The  fatal  morass  soon  be- 
came a  bridge  of  dead  men,  horses  and  accoutre- 
ments —  horses,  saddles,  shot  pouches  and  powder 
horns  all  rolled  together  in  a  nameless  heap. 

Almonte,  Santa  Anna's  secretary,  and  his  men, 
who  were  located  on  the  "  island  of  trees,"  had 
made  a  covenant  that  they  would  resist  or  sur- 
render, but  that  they  would  not  fly.  General 
Houston  with  as  many  soldiers  as  he  could  gather, 
led  his  men  to  a  charge,  but  the  General's  wounded 
horse,  which  he  had  ridden  through  the  dangers 
of  the  battle,  fell  dead  with  seven  bullets  in  his 
faithful  body.  Until  this  time  the  Texans  did  not 
know  that  General  Houston  was  wounded.  As  his 
wounded  leg  touched  the  ground  he  fell.  He  gave 
his  command  to  General  Rusk  and  another  horse 
was  procured  for  him.  As  General  Rusk  advanced 
upon  the  helpless  Mexicans,  Almonte,  realizing  the 
situation  came  forward  and  offered  his  sword. 

Resistance    to    Texas    had    ceased !     Atonement 


86  Texas  Hero  Stories 

was  made  for  the  Alamo  and  Goliad !     San  Jacinto 
was  won ! 

The  loss  of  the  Mexicans  was  630  killed,  208 
wounded,  and  more  than  seven  hundred  and  thirty 
were  taken  prisoners.  Only  eight  Texans  were 
killed  and  about  twenty-eight  wounded. 

Among  the  prisoners  at  the  mercy  of  the  Texans 
were  Santa  Anna;  Almonte,  secretary  to  Santa 
Anna ;  General  Cos,  Santa  Anna's  brother  who  had 
brought  reinforcements  to  the  Mexican  army  just 
before  the  battle,  and  a  distinguished  Mexican  offi- 
cer, Colonel  Portillia,  who  was  in  immediate  com- 
mand when  Fannin  and  his  men  were  murdered 
at  Goliad.  On  the  morning  of  the  twenty-second 
of  April,  Santa  Anna  was  taken  to  General  Hous- 
ton, who,  suffering  keenly  from  the  wound  in  his 
ankle,  to  which  he  had  given  no  care,  so  concen- 
trated was  his  attention  upon  the  success  of  his 
soldiers,  lay  upon  a  blanket  under  a  tree.  This 
blanket  under  a  tree  was  the  Texas  army  head- 
quarters. 

The  President  of  Mexico  with  all  of  the  fine 
manners  of  his  race  and  training,  bowed  to  the 
ground.  He  began  the  interview  by  stating :  "  I 
am  Gen.  Antonio  Lopez  de  Santa  Anna,  a  prisoner 
of  war,  sir,  at  your  disposal."  General  Houston 
asked  him  to  be  seated,  whereupon  he  immediately 
asked  his  attendant  for  opium,  which  drug  he  swal- 
lowed hastily. 

Santa  Anna  was  talkative  and  tried  very  hard  to 


Fifteen  Minutes  of  Destiny  87 

impress  General  Houston  with  the  grandeur  of  his 
presence  and  official  power,  saying :  "  Sir,  you 
should  be  very  generous,  for  remember  you  have 
captured  the  Napoleon  of  the  West." 

"  And  do  you  expect  mercy  at  our  hands  when 
you  showed  none  at  the  Alamo  ?  "  asked  General 
Houston. 

Santa  Anna  answered :  "  When  a  fort  refuses  to 
surrender  and  is  taken  by  assault,  the  prisoners  are 
doomed  to  death,  according  to  the  rules  of  war." 

"  If  that  be  true,"  said  Houston,  "  such  a  rule  is 
a  disgrace  to  this  civilized  Nineteenth  Century." 

"  Tell  me,  sir,"  continued  Houston,  "  by  what 
rule  of  war  do  you  justify  Goliad?  " 

To  this  question  the  warrior  of  Mexico  replied : 
"  I  had  orders  from  my  government  to  execute  all 
who  were  taken  with  arms  in  their  hands." 

"  Ah,  sir,"  said  Houston,  "  you  are  the  govern- 
ment —  for  a  dictator  has  no  superior  —  and  you 
must  immediately  write  an  order  for  all  Mexican 
troops  to  abandon  our  country  and  -return  to  their 
homes." 

Had  there  been  a  way  out  of  this,  Santa  Anna 
would  have  doubtless  found  it,  but  there  was  none, 
no  retreat  and  no  escape ;  so  the  dispatch  was  writ- 
ten and  sent  by  Deaf  Smith  and  Henry  Karnes  to 
General  Filisola,  who  was  second  in  command. 
Santa  Anna  even  attempted  to  negotiate  with  Gen- 
eral Houston  in  regard  to  purchasing  his  freedom 
but  the  General  told  him  that  the  matter  of  pur- 


88  Texas  Hero  Stories 

chase  must  be  taken  up  with  the  government  of 
Texas.  The  troublesome  part  now  was  the  disposal 
of  Santa  Anna.  Many  of  the  Texans  clamored  that 
his  blood,  and  his  blood  alone  could  atone  for  his 
slaughters,  but  the  prudent,  farseeing  Houston  real- 
izing consequences,  thought  the  matter  over  delib- 
erately, carefully  and  decided  upon  another  course. 
He  formed  a  solemn  contract  or  agreement  with 
Santa  Anna,  which  provided  that  he  should  never 
again  take  up  arms  in  any  form  against  Texas. 

That  every  Mexican  soldier  in  Texas  should  be 
immediately  sent  home. 

That  every  bit  of  property,  great  or  small,  valu- 
able or  not,  which  had  been  captured  by  Mexicans 
should  be  restored. 

Before  Santa  Anna  could  be  free  he  was  sworn 
to  abide  by  these  provisions.  As  the  time  came  for 
the  release  of  Santa  Anna  the  people  contended  that 
he  should  be  shot  or  at  least  remain  in  Texas  for- 
ever, in  prison,  for  indignation  ran  very  high. 
President  Burnet  detained  him  for  a  time  a  pris- 
oner, but  he  was  liberated  by  General  Houston  and 
sent  to  Washington  in  January,  1837,  and  from 
there  he  returned  to  Mexico. 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  89 


THE  RANGERS  ON  THE  PLAINS 

"  Mount !     Mount !     And  away  o'er  the  green  prairie 

wide  — 

The  sword  is  our  scepter,  the  fleet  steed  our  pride! 
Up!     Up!  with  our  flag.     Let  its  bright  star  gleam 

out. 
Mount !     Mount !     And    away    on    the    wild    border 

scout ! 

"  We  care  not  for  danger,  we  heed  not  the  foe  — 
Where  our  brave  steeds  can  bear  us,  right  onward 

we  go : 

And  never  as  cowards  can  we  fly  from  the  fight, 
While  our  belts  bear  a  blade  and  our  star  sheds  its 

light." 

"  CHIVALRY  gave  to  the  world  an  ideal  manhood. 
The  spirit  of  chivalry,  the  germ,  the  actual  incen- 
tive, is  the  defense  of  the  weak  and  unprotected," 
and  from  such  a  spirit  all  that  is  manly,  gentle, 
noble  and  generous  emanates. 

In  a  day  when  men  lived  by  such  an  idea,  when 
it  was  their  thought  and  daily  lesson,  when  its  ac- 
complishment brought  certain  reward  and  its  neg- 
lect certain  punishment,  and  when  "  to  the  brave 
did  belong  the  fair,"  it  is  little  wonder  that  we 
think  of  the  age  of  chivalry  and  knighthood  as 
the  rosy,  flower  time  of  the  world,  when  all  that 


90  Texas  Hero  Stories 

is  of  the  heart  seemed  uppermost,  when  human  life 
bowed  eagerly  to  human  happiness,  and  courage, 
daring  and  boldness  crowned  the  hero. 

Though  chivalry  assumed  its  definite  form  in  the 
eleventh  century,  the  sentiment,  since  the  beginning 
of  time,  has  lived  in  the  hearts  of  brave  men ;  and, 
though  its  height  was  undoubtedly  reached  in  the 
holy  wars,  and,  as  a  code  of  conduct  it  has  passed 
away,  the  distinguishing  features  —  a  reverence  for 
womanhood,  a  love  for  feats  of  arms  and  adven- 
ture, a  real  sympathy  for  the  oppressed  and  indig- 
nation at  oppression  —  still  mark  the  brave  knight 
and  the  gentleman,  and  this  sentiment  is  awakened 
and  stimulated  with  the  opportunity  to  serve  and 
protect. 

As  brave  a  knight  as  e'er  carried  lance  or 
traversed  trackless  waste  of  desert  continent,  his 
path  marked  out  by  the  bleached  bones  of  his  pil- 
grim predecessors  and  the  tracks  of  the  skulking 
desert  jackals,  his  cross-crowned  banner  waving 
high  to  the  eastern  breeze,  his  very  presence  giving 
terror  to  the  ruthless  Saracen,  was  that  modern 
knight  who  rode,  often  alone,  exposed  to  savage  and 
unsoldierlike  enemy.  His  very  swiftness  was  still- 
ness, and  with  flinty  courage  that  could  only  be 
conquered  in  death,  he  protected  a  helpless  people, 
who  but  for  his  mysterious,  magical  strength  would 
have  been  prey  to  a  race  before  whose  butchery  and 
savagery  Saracen  attack  paled  into  sham  and  painted 
battles. 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  91 

The  splendid  Crusaders  were  of  the  nobility. 
Many  were  kings  and  princes  who  left  thrones  to 
fight  for  an  idea  and  a  sentiment.  They  were 
trained  in  the  manly  and  martial  duties,  in  religion 
and  love,  and  were  taught  in  feudal  castles  by 
great  ladies,  pious  priests  and  veteran  knights  re- 
turned from  the  holy,  hazardous,  journeys. 

The  Texas  ranger  was  nature's  nobleman.  His 
was  the  rank  of  personal  courage,  pluck  and  pa- 
triotism. His  was  the  nobility  of  soul  and  heart. 
He  wore  no  velvet  cloak,  deep  trimmed  with  lace, 
nor  sat  in  gold-embroidered  saddle,  his  horse  gay 
in  trappings  of  purple  and  silver ;  but  upon  quick 
and  silent  rides,  trailing  his  energetic  foe,  his  was 
the  pride  of  true  bravery,  the  pomp  of  conscious 
power,  the  parade  of  remarkable  earnestness  and 
the  keen  appreciation  of  personal  responsibility. 

Sons  of  good  families  from  all  of  the  states,  both 
North  and  South,  their  training  received  from  the 
environment  of  wholesome  home  life,  the  Texas 
rangers  gave  with  enthusiasm  their*  service  to  the 
great  State  of  Texas ;  for  it  was  fascinating  in  its 
majestic  size,  and  to  the  young  heart  and  imagina- 
tion, was  akin  to  the  magic  fields  'neath  the  star- 
decked  skies  that  the  Arabian  knight  found  on  his 
quest  for  the  Genii  of  Battle. 

Mediaeval  knight-errantry  is  surpassed  by  the  ro- 
mantic, picturesque  ranger,  who  is  secure  in  his- 
tory, song  and  story,  and  because  of  his  grasp 
and  performance  of  duty  Texas  may  challenge  all 


92  Texas  Hero  Stories 

other  states  in  adventure,  encounter,  personal  brav- 
ery and  sacrifice,  and  the  ranger  is  one  of  the  chief 
factors  in  making  our  history  a  classic. 

The  rangers  are  those  men  who  protected  the 
Texas  frontier  from  the  Indians  and  the  Mexicans 
who  haunted  every  stump  and  tree,  and  they  held, 
safe  and  secure,  the  early  Texas  homes  from  bandits 
and  desperadoes.  The  desperado  was  in  his  glory, 
he  tyrannized  over  immigrant  and  homeseeker, 
and  from  his  ravages  and  raids  the  ranger  gave 
police  protection  to  men,  women  and  children. 

"  Texas  ranger  "  means  heroism  and  manliness, 
and  we  can  see  him  with  his  earnest  face,  his  clear, 
bright  eyes  beaming  'neath  his  broad  slouch  hat, 
which  protects  him  from  the  wind  and  sun,  mounted 
on  a  fleet  horse,  dangerous  to  any  rider  save  his 
own ;  a  coarse  woolen  blanket,  strapped  tightly  be- 
hind his  cowboy  saddle;  pistols  and  knives  in  his 
belt  and  desperate  determination  in  his  heart. 
Free  as  the  unchained  winds  that  sweep  the  bound- 
less prairie,  he  was  a  terror  to  the  incarnate 
Mexican  Devils,  a  sworn  foe  to  the  Indians,  who 
with  torch,  tomahawk  and  blood-freezing  war- 
whoop  terrified  helpless  women  and  children;  the 
ranger,  characteristic  exponent  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race,  drove  every  enemy  away  from  him  and  es- 
tablished peace  and  contentment. 

During  the  early  days  of  Texas  colonization,  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  organization  of  a  militia. 
The  settlements  were  unfortified,  and  the  attacks 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  93 

of  the  Indians  so  frequent  that  volunteer  compa- 
nies for  domestic  protection  were  raised.  These 
volunteer  companies  were  the  first  soldiers  or  pro- 
tectors to  be  called  "  rangers." 

So  troublesome  were  the  Indians  growing  on  the 
border,  their  bands  increasing  in  size  and  strength, 
sometimes  half  a  dozen  bands  forming  a  federa- 
tion to  attack  some  unprotected  settlement,  that 
Texas  was  gaining  a  deserved  reputation  for  law- 
lessness, crime,  desperation  and  massacre. 

But  there  were  so  many  other  important  affairs 
and  so  much  chaos  to  be  reduced  to  system  that  it 
was  only  after  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto  that  the 
legislature  provided  for  the  organization  and  main- 
tenance of  mounted  companies  of  "  rangers  "  to  de- 
fend the  frontier,  and  these  first  regulars  exposed 
themselves  to  such  dangers  and  perils  as  to  escape 
many  times  from  the  very  fingers  of  death. 

Organized  strictly  for  duty,  active,  ready  for 
service,  there  was  no  provision  for  "  grandstand  " 
parade,  gaudy  uniform  or  pomp  and  show.  In  fact, 
instead  of  restriction  or  discipline  in  dress,  speech 
and  manner,  there  was  a  freedom  and  ease  about 
the  ranger  which  gave  him  individuality  and  charm. 
He  was  opposed  to  all  fixed  rules  of  military  re- 
straint. 

Though  not  military  in  conception  and  organ- 
ization, the  success  of  the  Texas  ranger  has  never 
been  equaled  in  any  era  of  any  history  by  an  or- 
ganization entirely  military.  Well  mounted,  well 


94  Texas  Hero  Stories 

armed,  certain  as  to  aim,  precise  as  to  the  measure 
of  time  and  distance,  sensible  of  the  cruelty  and 
barbarity  of  each  foe  with  whom  he  dealt,  and 
always  ready  for  the  worst,  the  Texas  ranger  stood 
apart,  possessed  of  a  powerful  combination  of  traits 
an:l  qualifications.  Collectively  or  individually,  he 
exerted  a  great  influence  wherever  he  was  thrown 
or  wherever  he  served.  Bold  and  honest,  his 
powers  far  outreached  his  numerical  strength,  and 
his  protection  extended  to  all  classes  of  people, 
quieting"  communities,  restoring  and  encouraging 
order,  building  up  and  absolutely  stopping  aban- 
doned conduct  and  vicious  lawlessness. 

To  physical  courage  and  athletic  skill  of  the  high- 
est type  were  added  fearless  moral  conviction,  a 
keen  knowledge  of  men,  their  natures  and  passions, 
a  steadfastness  of  purpose,  which  he  realized  was  a 
broad  and  noble  one,  resources,  the  quality  of  adapta- 
tion and  the  recognition  of  opportunity  with  emer- 
gency. Many  Texas  rangers  were  college  and  uni- 
versity bred  men  of  broad  information  and  un- 
questioned scholarship,  but  they  could  render  any 
service  set  before  them,  hew  wood,  draw  water, 
build  camp  fires,  climb  to  the  top  of  the  highest 
tree  to  watch  the  route  of  the  enemy,  or  give  gentle 
care  to  the  sick  and  wounded. 

Those  from  the  most  comfortable  homes  slept 
in  marshes  and  canebrakes,  with  no  pillow  save  a 
saddle,  ofttimes  covered  with  snow  and  ice,  shel- 
tered only  by  a  bleak  winter  sky.  And  when  a 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  95 

guest  by  choice  or  chance  found  his  way  to  a  ranger 
camp,  blanket,  board,  fruit  and  flower  were  his. 
The  ranger  well  knew  and  practiced  in  the  wildest 
surroundings  the  beautiful  law  of  hospitality.  The 
ranger  was  not  only  a  gentleman,  but  a  man,  a 
genial,  true,  noble  one. 

Border  warfare  has  an  exhilarating  and  warrior- 
like  side,  exciting  and  heroic,  with  its  constantly 
recurring  scenes  of  death,  danger  and  destruction, 
at  the  same  time  it  is  pathetic  and  painful  and  the 
adventures  of  the  border  protectors  are  now  the 
familiar  themes  in  heroic  prose  or  poem.  The  his- 
tory of  the  Texas  ranger  proves  in  each  day's  action 
that  truth  is  stranger  than  fiction,  more  terrible 
and,  it  would  seem,  more  impossible. 

Our  hearts  thrill  with  gratitude  when  we  remem- 
ber the  ranger  on  ride  and  raid,  under  the  silent 
stars,  often  alone,  over  the  sand  and  sage  of  the 
border  which  he  knew  was  ranged  by  the  fiendish 
Indians,  whose  instincts  were  lower  and  baser  than 
those  of  the  beast  of  the  field.  The  scenes  that 
he  lived  were  blood,  murder,  crime ;  one  brave 
ranger  gives  his  life  in  the  capture  of  a  cattle  thief, 
another  is  called  from  his  camp  at  hazy  dawn  to 
protect  with  his  life  the  youthful  mailcarrier  who 
rides  to  the  nearest  railroad  station.  A  band  of 
Mexicans  have  pursued  him,  whom  the  ranger  kills 
or  cripples,  one  by  one,  but  before  the  carrier  can 
go  safely  on  his  way  the  ranger  falls,  to  be  taken 
to  his  camp,  wounded,  bleeding,  dying. 


96  Texas  Hero  Stories 

A  Ranger  repairing  the  telegraph  lines  is  shot  by 
the  hiding  Indians;  two  rangers  are  murdered  in 
their  camp  on  a  frozen  morning  after  a  terrible 
midnight  ride  in  a  biting  wind. 

One  rides  all  day  to  save  a  mother  and  her  babe 
in  arms  whose  father's  scalp  hangs  from  the .  big 
chief's  belt,  and  he  is  shot  at  sunset  by  a  red  devil 
from  behind  a  mesquite  bush. 

While  assisting  a  wounded  Indian  who  pretends 
to  be  a  friend,  one  brave  ranger  is  cut  in  the  throat 
by  the  savage,  treacherous  hand,  and  his  slender, 
tired  body  torn  in  pieces  by  the  savages,  who  wait 
to  come  at  a  signal  to  shriek  the  war-whoop  and 
dance  to  the  sun-spirit  over  his  silent  body. 

A  Texas  ranger  saved  a  young  girl  from  a  tor- 
ture a  million  times  worse  than  murder  by  Indian 
or  Mexican  ;  he  rode  with  her  for  eight  miles,  while 
she  clung  around  his  neck  seated  behind  him  on  his 
faithful  horse.  When  they  reached  the  settlement 
the  girl  was  unconscious,  more  than  half-dead,  but 
•she  was  saved.  The  good  horse  died  and  this 
ranger,  in  restoring  the  girl  to  her  father,  added 
another  name  to  his  long  list  of  personal  dangers 
and  un reckoned  benefits. 

The  Texas  border  warfare  was  modified  to  suit 
the  Texas  conditions;  the  foes  to  Texas  were  in- 
variably on  horseback,  so  the  rangers  was  a  cavalry 
service.  The  chiefly  populated  part  of  Texas  in 
the  early  days  was  along  the  gulf  coast  and  in  the 
eastern  section. along  the  Sabine  river,  though  grad- 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  97 

ually  the  prairies,  so  long  the  home  of  the  roaming 
buffalo,  and  the  forests,  the  hiding  place  of  the 
Indians,  were  filling  up  with  settlements,  and  an 
occasional  adventurer  would  take  his  family  and 
go  into  the  very  heart  of  the  interior,  selecting  a 
home  along  some  stream  or  finding  an  unusually 
rich  and  fertile  oasis  in  the  broad  prairie. 

Northward  and  westward  the  border  gradually, 
but  surely,  extended  for  uncounted  hundreds  of 
miles  into  the  blue  mountain  line  which  now  sepa- 
rates us  from  New  Mexico.  But  for  the  presence 
of  the  ranger,  the  guardian  of  safety  and  domestic 
peace,  who  went  ahead  of  the  settler,  all  communi- 
ties were  helpless  against  thieves  and  murderers 
who  thickly  infested  the  border  region. 

It  was  while  the  fury  of  savage  warfare  raged 
up  and  down  the  frontier,  when  the  ranger  was 
protecting  early  homes  and  property  and  overcom- 
ing the  wilderness,  making  our  state  a  habitable 
place  for  families,  that  the  regular  Texas  ranger, 
exercising  his  tact,  endurance,  steady  nerve,  skill 
and  enormous  energy,  first  gained  for  himself 
name,  fame  and  grateful  remembrance  among  all 
civilized  and  law  abiding  people. 

The  years  immediately  following  the  revolution 
were  a  critical  time  with  the  young  Texas.  She 
was  in  danger  from  treacheries  within  and  without, 
and  beset  with  difficulties,  doubts  and  fears;  there 
were  civil  troubles  for  her  to  meet,  dissensions 
among  her  own  leaders,  and  her  own  people ;  her 


gS  Texas  Hero  Stories 

strength  was  not  great  and  she  still  felt  the  sting 
and  bruise  of  the  fangs  of  her  treacherous  enemy, 
Mexico.  She  felt  the  need  of,  and  her  people  de- 
manded, an  armed  support,  a  regular  dependable 
protection,  an  economic  military  system  to  put  down 
internal  disorders  and  foreign  invasion. 

Out  of  these  necessities,  the  ranger  service  grew ; 
so  practical  did  it  prove,  and  so  conducive  to 
the  peace  of  mind  of  the  citizens,  that  just  as  soon  as 
it  was  possible,  the  organization  obtained  legal 
status  and  military  recognition. 

Through  each  dramatic  and,  it  would  seem,  often 
helpless  condition  through  which  Texas  has  passed, 
from  a  province  of  Mexico  to  its  present  proud 
estate,  the  Texas  ranger  has  answered  every  call 
for  the  protection  of  liberty,  honor,  government, 
human  life,  and  to  the  ranger  more  than  to  all 
other  powers  combined  is  our  present  excellent 
system  of  court  and  constabulary  indebted. 

The  first  organization  by  formal  enactment  was 
instituted  by  Captain  Robert  M.  Coleman  at  the 
"  general  consultation  "  held  in  San  Felipe  in  No- 
vember, 1835,  where  provision  was  made  for  the 
"  raising  of  a  force  of  150  rangers  to  be  placed  in 
detachments  on  the  frontier."  Others  were  detailed 
along  the  Trinity,  Colorado  and  Little  rivers. 

Captain  Coleman,  though  a  fearless  soldier, 
greatly  beloved  by  his  followers  and  eternally  feared 
by  his  enemies,  was  dismissed  by  President  Hous- 
ton soon  after  he  took  the  oath  of  office.  Cole- 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  99 

man  offended  the  president  by  publishing  a  very 
frank,  humorous  and  somewhat  uncomplimentary 
pamphlet,  accompanied  by  ridiculous  cartoons  and 
illustrations,  reviewing  the  character  and  life  of 
the  president.  The  gallant  captain,  much  attached 
to  his  men  and  chosen  duties,  was  greatly  embar- 
rassed. He  died,  from  drowning,  in  1837. 

Though  Coleman  was  the  first  in  service  of  for- 
mal enlistment,  timely  volunteer  service,  protecting 
the  settlers  from  Indian  and  Mexican  depredations, 
had  been  given  years  and  years  before.  There 
were  Hays,  Burleson,  Highsmith,  Walker,  Gillespie, 
Henry  McCulloch  and  "  Rip  "  Ford  with  others  who 
stand  apart  as  soldiers,  leaders  and  patriots. 

Jack  Hays,  an  unique  character,  afraid  of  noth- 
ing under  the  sun,  commanded  a  company  of  younj, 
high-spirited,  reckless,  dare-devil,  though  withal, 
patriotic  men.  Hays,  with  these  same  rangers, 
later  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  among  the 
distinguished  men  who  commanded  companies  in 
this  dreaded  regiment  were  General  Tom  Green, 
later  a  major  general  in  the  Confederate  army, 
killed  at  Blairs  Landing,  1864;  Ben  McCulloch, 
brigadier  general  in  the  Confederacy,  killed  in  the 
battle  of  Elkhorn,  Ark.,  in  1862,  and  Henry  Mc- 
Culloch, a  brigadier  general,  famed  for  courage 
and  patriotism. 

Colonel  Hays  and  his  men  shed  glory  upon  the 
name  of  Texas,  and  proved  the  marksmanship  and 
skill  of  the  rangers  during  the  war  with  Mexico. 


ioo  Texas  Hero  Stories 

They  were  equal  to  dangerous  and  difficult  scout- 
ing, quick  foraging,  sudden  and  furious  attack  and 
could  be  depended  upon  by  General  Taylor,  who 
often  sent  them  to  the  front.  ' 

Sam  Highsmith,  hero  and  ranger,  was  one  of 
the  few  who,  on  the  field  of  San  Jacinto,  sent  flying 
the  humbled,  bleeding,  terrified  Mexicans,  and 
gained  a  place  for  Texas  in  the  galaxy  of  free  peo- 
ple. After  this  battle,  so  strong  did  he  become  in 
conscious  power  and  prowess,  that  he  kept  up  war- 
fare against  the  other  enemies  to  peace  and  happi- 
ness, and  also  served  with  Colonel  Hays  in  Mex- 
ico. In  1848,  in  what  is  now  Blanco  county,  High- 
smith  and  a  few  of  his  rangers  in  a  bloody  foray, 
awed  and  paralyzed  the  cruel  energies  and  demon 
designs  of  a  full  band  of  Waco  Indians,  Highsmith, 
himself  killing  the  chief,  Big  Water. 

Shapley  P.  Ross,  a  ranger  captain,  who  came  from' 
Iowa  to  Texas  in  1839,  devoted  his  practical  in- 
tellect and  resourceful  strength  to  the  needs  of  the 
new  republic.  Steady  nerve,  coolness  in  emergency 
and  decision,  and  good,  sound  sense,  characterized 
him ;  and  it  is  little  wonder  that  his  distinguished 
son,  Lawrence  Sullivan,  lovingly  called  by  his  con- 
temporaries "  Sul,"  became  honored  for  these  same 
traits. 

Not  only  did  Sul  Ross's  heroism,  strong  char- 
acter and  uprightness  conquer  on  the  battlefield,  but 
his  victories  were  many  in  time  of  peace,  for  he 
controlled  the  convictions  of  men.  This  requires 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  101 

a  greater  skill  than  that  employed  upon  the  suc- 
cessful military  field. 

With  modesty,  manliness  and  industry,  as  an  ac- 
tive Texas  ranger,  soldier  of  the  Confederacy, 
governor  of  the  State  of  Texas,  and  last,  at  the 
head  of  an  institution  pledged  to  the  development 
of  the  substantial,  practical  side  of  the  education 
of  Texas  youth,  he  has  left  a  proud  legacy  to  all 
patriotic  Texans  who  shall  come  after  him. 

Agriculture,  town  building,  numerous  immigra- 
tion parties,  rapid  strides  in  courts  and  all  civil 
government  and  general  progress  marked  the  in- 
terim between  the  Mexican  war  and  the  war  be- 
tween the  states,  and  to  this  day  the  victories, 
growth  and  general  going  forward  of  this  period 
are  enjoyed  by  Texans.  The  settlements  each  grew 
and  prospered  and  the  borders  were  extended  fur- 
ther and  further  into  the  north  and  northwest. 

This  growth  and- the  assurance  that  the  Texas 
settlements  were  permanent  sent  the  Mexicans  and 
Indians  further  and  further  away,  and  it  so  in- 
censed them  and  aroused  their  fiendish  instincts  that 
often  at  midnight  they  would  slip  into  the  settle- 
ment nearest  the  border,  and  with  the  keen,  swift 
stroke  of  the  scalping  knife,  spare  not  sex  nor  age, 
burn  houses,  steal  horses  and  cattle,  and  with  whoop 
and  yelp  leave  the  settlement  red  with  blood,  hurry 
back  to  their  hiding  place  to  await  the  next  white 
settlement  which  dared  to  invade  their  border  do- 
main. 


IO2  "  Texas  Hero  Stories 

Such  scenes  as  these,  however,  only  occurred 
when  there  was  no  ranger  in  sight;  the  very  ap- 
pearance and  presence  of  the  ranger  put  the  cow- 
ards to  flight,  and  as. the  frontier  gradually  moved 
westward,  the  ranger  went  in  advance  of  it,  keep- 
ing a  line  of  defense  between  the  settlers  and  the 
dangers.  Occasionally  the  attacks  were  reversed 
and  the  rangers  took  the  initiative  and  carried  the 
war  into  the  Indians'  camp.  Sometimes,  because 
of  the  quick  maneuvers,  the  redskins  were  stunned 
and  made  powerless. 

It  was  a  case  of  "  reversed  warfare  "  of  this  na- 
ture when  Captain  Sul  Ross,  commanding  a  com- 
pany of  Rangers  and  Indian  Scouts,  though  he  was 
not  yet  twenty  years  of  age,  came  upon  a  very  un- 
usual experience.  They  attacked  a  Cornanche  vil- 
lage on  Pease  river  in  1861,  over  which  village  with 
pride  and  savage  dignity  presided  Peta  Nacona,  a 
great  and  mighty  chief.  In  a  vicious  fight,  under 
the  sound  of  the  Cornanche  axe,  in  the  midst  of 
smoke  and  flames  from  the  Indian  fires  ready  for 
white  victims,  and  the  flourish  of  knives  and  thun- 
der of  guns,  the  great  chief  and  nearly  every  Indian 
were  killed. 

When  the  few  Indians  who  escaped  the  rangers' 
guns  had  fled  and  the  noise  and  din  of  the  fight  had 
subsided,  brave  Captain  Ross  discovered  a  fair  resi- 
dent in  the  village,  a  young  woman  who  had  been 
stolen  and  carried  away  by  these  Indians  when  she 
was  a  little  girl,  for  Cynthia  Ann  Parker  had  been 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  103 

a  captive  for  twenty-four  years.  The  rangers'  in- 
dignation at  her  captivity  somewhat  abated  when 
they  discovered  her  state  of  complete  happiness  and 
contentment  in  her  adopted  home.  She  had 
"  grown  up,"  like  Topsy,  among  the  Indians ;  they 
had  been  kind  to  her  and  she  loved  them ;  she 
had  forgotten  her  own  language  and  hers  were  the 
life  and  habits  of  the  Comanches,  to  whom  she  was 
deeply  attached. 

Cynthia  Ann  Parker  was  the  wife  of  Chief  Peta 
Nacona,  just  slain,  and  two  fine  sons  had  been  born 
to  them.  One  of  these  sons,  Quanah  Parker,  was 
later  .chief  of  the  Comanches.  The  gallant  rangers 
restored  her  to  her  own  people,  but  the  roving  life 
held  more  charm  for  her  than  the  presence  of  her 
pale-faced  kinsmen.  She  missed  her  chief,  her 
gypsy  habits,  her  free,  wild  days  in  the  woods,  un- 
housed and  unhampered,  and  she  pined  away  and 
died  in  "  civilization  "  only  four  years  after  her 
recapture. 

During  the  war  between  the  states  many  a  ranger 
gave  valuable  service  to  his  country  in  various 
parts  of  the  South,  and,  though  a  greater  number 
of  Texans  were  serving  valiantly  in  the  Confed- 
erate army  in  other  States,  strict  military  discipline 
and  organization  were  observed  in  Texas  against 
difficulties  of  the  border  and  interior.  Especially 
was  the  service  on  the  Rio  Grande  invaluable. 
The  hostile  raids  kept  the  Texas  side  as  red  as 
the  dividing  waters  and  the  banks  were  aglow  with 


IO4  Texas  Hero  Stories 

burning  Camps  and  cottages,  only  to  be  quenched 
by  these  brave  spirits  of  emergency  and  necessity. 
The  Rio  Grande  fights  were  signalized  by  daring 
and  recklessness  and  participated  in  by  some  of 
the  best  men  who  ever  honored  the  good  state  of 
Texas. 

Since  the  war  the  state  has  retained  this  mili- 
tary protection,  and  though  the  death-shriek  of  the 
terrorized  settler,  with  the  desolate  cries  of  women 
and  little  children,  do  not  reach  the  ear  of  the  ranger 
as  they  did  fifty  years  ago,  his  appearance  is  still. 
a  safeguard.  It  was  as  late  as  1874  that  a  law 
was  passed  which  provided  for  a  battalion  of  regu- 
lar rangers,  six  companies  of  seventy  men  each, 
and  minute  companies,  not  to  exceed  750  men.  The 
minute  companies  were  for  local  use.  Captain 
John  B.  Jones  commanded  the  battalion  of  rangers 
under  the  new  law. 

This  law  was  worth  much  to  every  branch  of 
Texas  citizenship,  for,  by  its  enactment,  the  author- 
ity and  duty  of  the  ranger  was  increased,  and  his 
official  prerogative  now  met  every  need  of  public 
protection.  Complex  and  difficult  were  his  new 
duties,  for,  on  the  one  hand  he  must  fight  Indians 
and  Mexicans  and  guard  a  frontier  famed  far  and 
wide  for  bandit  and  murder;  on  the  other,  he  must 
enforce  peace,  arrest  criminals,  take  care  of  pris- 
oners, look  to  the  regulation  of  courts,  juries,  and 
all  civil  protection.  He  arrested  men  without  war- 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  105 

rant,  which  added,  of  course,  to  his  success,  and 
helped  to  awe  the  culprits. 

His  method  of  arrest  was  to  draw  his  six-shooter, 
get  the  drop  on  his  man,  letting  him  look  for  a 
minute  into  the  deep  black  holes  of  his  loaded  re- 
volver, while  his  restless,  nervous  fingers  felt 
around  the  quick  trigger  —  of  course,  just  a  few 
resisted.  The  bowie  knife  was  used  little  except  in 
camp.  Scouting  parties  were  out  constantly  per- 
forming dangerous  and  often  offensive  duties,  but 
interlopers,  fakers  and  looters  soon  had  to  fly  over 
the  line.  The  annals  of  the  service  of  the  ranger 
would  be  incomplete  without  including  the  knotty 
complicated  problem  of  cattle  stealing,  especially 
in  the  Brownsville  region  and  up  and  down  the 
Rio  Grande. 

Just  what  our  dangers  were  and  what  they  meant 
to  the  ranger  are  shown  in  the  situation  known  as 
the  Cortinas  war.  It  was  in  1859-60,  though  cat- 
tle stealing  had  been  going  on  years  and  years  be- 
fore, probably  ever  since  the  first  Texan  settled  on 
a  ranch  —  that  Cortina,  a  systematic,  orderly,  exact 
and  entirely  successful  cattle  thief,  raised  cattle 
stealing  to  the  dignity  of  war. 

He  was  a  Mexican  bandit  and  desperado  who 
for  four  years  impudently  invaded  our  state,  plun- 
dered every  settlement,  took  all  the  cattle  that  he 
wanted,  committed  murders  by  the  wholesale, 
spared  no  traveler  for  fear  he  might  tell  of  what 


io6  Texas  Hero  Stories 

he  saw,  and  he  and  his  cutthroats  violated  every 
law  of  the  making  of  God  and  man.  The  "  maver- 
icks," that  is,  the  unbranded  cattle,  were  sent  over 
the  border  by  the  thousand,  and  Cortina  would  go 
deliberately  into  the  herd,  take  all  cattle  that  were 
choice,  kill  the  herder,  burn  the  ranch-house  and 
in  proud  possession  return  with  his  own. 

He  defeated  the  Texas  soldiery,  then  fought 
Texas  and  the  United  States  combined.  From  the 
high  pole  on  his  ranch  on  Texas  soil  floated  the 
flag  of  Mexico.  Such  audacious  impudence  is  no- 
where chronicled. 

In  response  to  an  appeal  from  the  governor  of 
Texas  to  the  war  department,  General  Robert  E. 
Lee,  stationed  in  Texas,  was  ordered  to  drive  Cor- 
tina over  the  border  and  to  follow  him  if  neces- 
sary. 

One  queer  thing  in  regard  to  cattle-stealing  in 
Western  Texas  is  the  strange  but  proven  fact  that 
some  of  these  old-time  desperadoes  and  border  cat- 
tle thieves,  the  nuisance  to  the  rangers,  became 
zealous,  law-abiding  citizens  of  Texas,  extreme  in 
their  interpretation  of  law  in  regard  to  later  thieves 
and  of  great  assistance  to  the  later  ranger  service. 

There  are  other  and  later  Texas  rangers  whom 
we  love  and  whose  service  has  been  vital  in  our 
growth.  They  have  successfully  captured  crim- 
inals and  outlaws,  supported  and  demanded  the 
enforcement  of  law,  and  by  their  service  so  loyally 
given  rendered  lasting  benefit  to  Texas  and  the 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  107 

Southwest.  Some  of  the  rangers  for  whose  names 
the  annals  of  Texas  history  are  mightier  are :  Jesse 
Lee  Hall,  Oglesby,  Scott,  Shelly,  Buck  Barry,  Mc- 
Nulty,  Sieker,  Caldwell,  Baylor,  McNally,  McKin- 
ney,  Neville  and  McDonald.  And  their  service  was 
practically  without  compensation,  for  it  consisted 
only  of  $40  per  month,  rations  and  arms  from  the 
state,  and  they  furnished  their  own  horses. 

Through  the  effectual  efforts  of  such  men  as 
these,  outrages  and  lawlessness  ceased,  painfully 
tragic  border  warfare  ended,  and,  though  the  In- 
dian and  his  midnight  fires  had  devastated  to  with- 
in less  than  100  miles  of  the  best  populated  part 
of  the  state,  since  1874  the  "  frontier,"  so  long  the 
lurking,  dangerous  place  of  the  savage,  has  been 
growing,  developing  and  becoming  a  favorite  part 
of  our  beautiful  state. 

A  frontier  no  longer,  it  is  peopled  by  industrious, 
enterprising  and  intelligent  Texans.  Where  the 
buffalo  once  roamed  over  sage  bush  and  sandy 
waste  have  been  erected  wholesome,  happy  Texas 
homes,  and  there,  in  health  and  plenty,  live  the 
ranchmen  and  the  cowboys  with  their  wives  and 
sunny-faced  children.  These  excellent  citizens  are 
protected  and  churches,  schoolhouses  and  public 
buildings  mark  the  passing  of  the  old  and  the 
dawning  of  the  new  era. 

The  Texas  ranger  made  for  us  our  public  vir- 
tue. His  success  lay  in  his  directness  in  punishing 
the  individual,  in  going  deliberately  and  unswerv- 


io8  Texas  Hero  Stories 

ingly  to' the  heart  of  the  matter;  not  in  going 
'round  and  'round,  but  "  straight  home "  in  a 
straight  line.  Both  directly  and  indirectly  have  we 
felt  his  influence,  and  his  operations,  some  of  which 
we  know ;  others  will  always  be  veiled  in  fascinat- 
ing mystery,  for  the  ranger  "  never  tells  "  some  of 
his  exploits  and  wonderful  performances.  He  has 
created  in  Texas  a  manhood  which  is  bold  in  the 
determination  of  right,  and  in  a  true  and  excellent 
interpretation  of  right. 

Except  for  the  natural  frailties  and  mistakes  to 
which  all  mortals  are  heir,  and  the  little  weak- 
nesses which  seem  to  attach  themselves  to  and  fol- 
low all  human  endeavors,  the  Texas  ranger  in  his 
earlier  and  later  service  stands  a  superb  type  alone, 
typical  of  none  other  but  an  original,  unique  in- 
dividual. 

His  was  not  military  glory  bought  with  a  cheap 
price,  not  the  holiday  pageant  of  gold  lace  soldiery, 
"  invincible  in  peace  and  invisible  in  war,"  but  his 
prompt  acceptance  and  accomplishment  of  each  per- 
sonal and  official  duty,  the  finishing  of  the  task  im- 
mediately before  him,  thoroughly  and  fearlessly, 
knowing  no  obstacle  or  hindrance,  place  him  in 
the  hearts  and  homes  of  Texas,  a  braver,  truer, 
nobler  knight  than  e'er  took  service  in  the  name  of 
St.  Michael  or  St.  George. 

And  he  who  wandered  into  the  glowing  East  to 
restore  the  tomb  of  our  Saviour  did  not  love  Him 
more  than  he  who  fulfilled  His  blessed  command 


The  Rangers  on  the  Plains  109 

to  love  well  his  fellow  men,  thereby  fertilizing  and 
purifying  their  hearts  that  He  might  dwell  in  life 
instead  of  death.  The  dead  Christ  is  not  in  a 
tomb  in  Jerusalem,  but  in  the  hearts  of  wicked 
men,  and  he  who  protects  the  living,  saves  the  help- 
less, rescues  the  perishing  and  dying,  fulfills  the 
law  of  God  and  the  Christ  lives!  No  longer  dead! 

The  ranger  was  a  modern  Crusader,  the  knight 
of  prairie  and  plain,  whose  spurs  were  won  by 
service  of  peril,  whose  badge  of  knighthood  was 
the  lone'  star  of  Texas,  whether  of  a  republic  in 
prairie  and  forest  or  the  brightest  gem  in  the  con- 
stellation of  states. 

To  him  every  boy  and  girl  who  loves  Texas  owes 
unspeakable  gratitude,  for  he,  like  King  Richard, 
was  "  lion-hearted,"  like  King  Louis,  was  God-fear- 
ing and  reverenced  holy  things,  and  like  the  Knights 
of  the  White  Mountain  Eagle,  feared  not  beast  nor 
man  nor  devil. 


ALBERT  SIDNEY  JOHNSTON. 


The  Hero  of  Shiloh  in 


THE  HERO  OF  SHILOH 

THE  great  military  ability  of  General  Albert  Sid- 
ney Johnston,  his  dauntless  courage,  marked  integ- 
rity and  force  of  will,  were  equaled  by  his  loving, 
tender  heart,  unaffected  modesty  and  purity  of  char- 
acter. 

Albert  Sidney  Johnston  was  born  in  Washing- 
ton, Mason  county,  Kentucky,  on  the  second  day 
of  February,  1803.  His  father,  Dr.  John  Johnston, 
was  an  early  settler,  and  his  professional  duties  re- 
quired long  journeys  over  the  country.  The  good 
doctor  was  a  well  known  and  much  beloved  man ; 
he  was,  in  many  respects,  an  oracle  in  the  com- 
munity, and  his  judgment  was  consulted  upon  va- 
rious subjects.  Bold,  blunt,  fearless,  he  was  an 
unique  and  interesting  character.  His  wife,  the 
mother  of  our  hero,  was  a  quiet,  modest  woman, 
whose  interests  and  attention  centered  upon  her 
husband  and  children. 

As  a  very  small  boy  Albert  Sidney  gave  evi- 
dence of  his  gift  of  leadership ;  he  was  energetic, 
persistent  and  untiring  in  the  plays  and  games  with 
his  small  companions,  and  by  common  consent,  was 
the  leader  and  organizer.  He  played  with  the  same 
force  and  earnestness  as  a  child  that  characterized 
his  work  as  a  man. 


112  Texas  Hero  Stories 

As  he  grew  into  young  manhood,  he  acquired  a 
dignity  and  a  reserve  power  which  added  unto  his 
general  personality  and  gave  the  true  impression 
of  his  force  of  character,  strong  will  and  complete 
self-possession.  As  boy  and  man,  he  was  reason- 
able ;  he  could  see  and  appreciate  "  two  sides  of 
a  matter/'  and  in  all  things  he  was  just.  This  can 
be  said  of  few  men.  Afraid  of  nothing,  and  at 
times  quick  and  impulsive  he  was  kind,  affectionate 
and  tender-hearted.  With  him  all  things  bowed 
to  duty.  When  once  he  was  convinced  of  the 
part  expected  of  him,  or  of  the  work  assigned 
to  him,  he  gave  his  energy  and  strength,  and  no 
pleasure  or  affection  could  call  him  away. 

When  he  was  15  years  of  age  he  attended  school 
for  one  session  in  western  Virginia,  after  which 
he  was  employed  in  a  drug  store ;  he  showed 
throughout  life  a  great  fondness  for  the  medical 
practice  and  an  intimate  knowledge  of  physiology. 

He  attended  Transylvania  college  one  year,  but 
before  the  close  of  this  year,  probably  influenced 
by  the  study  of  American  history  and  the  achieve- 
ments of  the  Americans  in  the  war  of  1812,  he  be- 
came deeply  impressed  with  a  desire  to  join  the 
United  States  navy.  So  determined  was  he  to  go 
to  sea  that  he  secured  a  warrant  as  a  midshipman, 
and  was  making  preparations  to  leave  home  for 
an  indefinite  time,  probably  forever.  His  mother 
and  father,  who  saw  in  him  other  and  greater  pos- 
sibilities, discouraged  this  idea,  and  sent  him,  with 


The  Hero  of  Shiloh  113 

his  sister,  to  visit  in  the  parish  of  the  Rapides  in 
Louisiana. 

The  environment  was  entirely  new  to  him  and  it 
was  interesting;  his  sister  gave  her  constant  care 
and  attention  to  him  and  to  the  directing-  of  his 
ambitions.  She  succeeded  in  quickening  a  desire 
for  study,  and  at  last  he  promised  her  that  he  would 
give  up  the  idea  of  going  to  sea.  This  visit  was 
of  great  import  to  him  because  it  changed  the 
course  of  his  life. 

Returning  to  Lexington  he  again  took  his  place 
in  Transylvania  college.  Young  Johnston  now 
worked  hard.  All  his  energy  and  enthusiasm  were 
directed  to  study ;  he  appreciated  the  need  of  an 
education,  and  was  determined  to  take  advantage 
of  every  opportunity.  He  did  good  work  in  math- 
ematics, which  proved  to  be  his  favorite  study, 
and  his  reports  showed  diligent  attention  to  the 
sciences  and  Latin. 

Having  entirely  abandoned  the  navy  he  became 
more  and  more  fascinated  with  the  idea  of  becom- 
ing a  soldier,  and  in  this  desire  he  received  every 
encouragement  from  his  parents,  his  teachers  and 
his  friends.  Through  Josiah  Johnston,  a  member 
of  congress  from  Louisiana,  he  procured  an  ap- 
pointment to  West  Point,  and  with  an  'earnestness 
approaching  a  religious  conviction  he  entered  upon 
his  preparations  for  a  military  life. 

His  life  at  West  Point  was  signalized  by  firm- 
ness, deliberation,  self-control  and  enormous  work. 


ii4  Texas  Hero  Stories 

He  seemed  determined  to  be  thorough  and  to  learn 
everything  offered  in  the  course.  .His  instructors 
respected  him  and  he  formed  lasting  friendships 
with  his  classmates.  With  Jefferson  Davis,  a  stu- 
dent at  West  Point,  two  classes  below  Johnston,  a 
firm  friendship  grew  up  which  continued  through- 
out life. 

In  1832,  when  the  country,  after  a  long  peace, 
was  terrorized  by  the  Black  Hawk  war,  Lieutenant 
Albert  Sidney  Johnston  served  throughout,  giving 
valuable  service  as  civil  engineer,  going  over  plain, 
penetrating  dark  forests  and  fearlessly  fighting  the 
Indians. 

He  believed  in  the  supremacy  and  accurate  ob- 
servance of  law,  and  felt  that  his  strength  and  tal- 
ent could  not  be  contributed  to  better  service  than 
in  aiding  men  of  his  own  race  to  secure  their  lib- 
erty, especially  men  who  were  ready  to  sacrifice 
everything  for  their  personal  liberty.  So,  in  Au- 
gust, 1836,  he  joined  the  patriots  of  Texas.  It  was 
his  desire  to  promote  the  annexation  of  Texas  to 
the  United  States,  and  the  interests  and  the  general 
welfare  of  the  struggling  republic  became  first 
with  him. 

Under  President  Lamar  he  was  made  secretary 
of  war  of  the  republic  of  Texas.  In  1839  he  or- 
ganized an  expedition  to  expel  the  Cherokees  from 
East  Texas.  He  fought  with  General  Taylor  in 
the  Mexican  war,  who  said  of  him,  "  Albert  Sidney 
Johnston  is  the  best  soldier  I  have  ever  seen  in  the 


The  Hero  of  Shiloh  115 

field."  He  served  as  colonel  of  the  Second  reg- 
iment of  Texas  volunteers. 

,  At  the  close  of  the  Mexican  war  he  was  reap- 
pointed  to  the  United  States  army  in  the  capacity 
of  inspector  general.  In  1849  ne  was  made  pay- 
master, and  assigned  to  the  Second  cavalry  of  the 
Texas  frontier.  For  some  time  he  lived  in  Austin, 
and  in  1855  he  accompanied  General  Harney  to  the 
plains  in  the  West.  At  frequent  intervals  he  visited 
his  plantation  home  in  Brazos  county,  where  he 
lived  in  comfort  and  quiet,  but  with  a  watchful 
eye  upon  Texas,  and  all  of  her  affairs  of  state  in- 
ternal and  external.  In  1857,  when  in  command 
of  the  department  of  Texas,  he  was  ordered  to 
Utah  to  restore  order  among  the  Mormons.  For 
more  than  two  years  as  a  federal  commander  his 
position  was  both  dangerous  and  difficult,  placed 
as  he  was,  sometimes  directly,  sometimes  indirectly, 
in  antagonistic  relations  with  the  Mormons  and 
their  leaders.  But  the  Utah  campaign  was  success- 
ful, and  he  was  next  removed  to  California  and 
placed  in  command  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  with  head- 
quarters at  San  Francisco. 

When  the  news  that  Texas  had  seceded  from  the 
Union  reached  him  he  resigned  his  command, 
though  his  surroundings  were  pleasant  and  he  had 
grown  fond  of  the  West,  and  went  immediately  to 
Richmond,  Virginia,  where  he  joined  the  Confed- 
eracy. Preparing  to  resist  invasion,  the  Confed- 
erate government  intrusted  its  western  defenses  to 


u6  Texas  Hero  Stories 

him,  and  he  established  east  of  the  Mississippi  a 
strong  line  of  defense. 

While  in  command  of  the  Confederate  lines  west 
of  the  Cumberland  mountains,  which  extended  from 
the  Cumberland  mountains  to  the  Mississippi  river, 
including  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  arrayed 
against  him  were  the  enemy  in  Kentucky,  more 
than  100,000  strong,  under  General  Buell,  and 
across  in  Illinois  15,000  strong,  under  General 
Grant. 

Buell  and  Grant  had  planned  to  crush  the  Con- 
federates, but  Johnston,  not  waiting  for  their  at- 
tack, on  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day  of  April  1862, 
attacked  Grant  near  Shiloh  church,  about  two  miles 
from  the  Tennessee  river  near  the  line  between 
Mississippi  and  Tennessee,  and  the  result  was  a 
quick,  terrible  battle. 

When  it  seemed  that  Grant's  army  would  cer- 
tainly be  annihilated,  when  the  Federals  were  scat- 
tered and  hastening  to  their  gunboats  on  the  river, 
and  victory  was  crowning  every  attempt  made  by 
the  Confederates,  the  center,  the  life,  the  very  heart 
of  the  brilliant  achievement,  was  removed. 

General  Johnston  was  killed.  Beauregard  now 
took  command,  Buell  joined  Grant  and  the  Con- 
federates were  outnumbered  nearly  two  to  one. 

General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston's  remains  were 
temporarily  buried  in  New  Orleans ;  over  this 
temporary  tomb  the  citizens  of  this  patriotic  city 
have  erected  a  superb  bronze  equestrian  statue,  and 


The  Hero  of  Shiloh  117 

underneath  the  tomb,  which  is  a  mausoleum  of 
marble  and  stone  with  grass-covered  sides,  lie  en- 
tombed many  of  the  soldiers  of  the  army  of  Ten- 
nessee. 

In  accord  with  the  expressed  wish  of  General 
Johnston,  "  When  I  die  I  want  to  lie  in  Texas  soil," 
on  the  first  day  of  October  1866,  the  legislature  of 
the  State  of  Texas,  by  joint  resolution  unanimously 
adopted  by  both  houses,  appointed  a  committee  to 
arrange  for  the  removal  of  the  sacred  remains  to 
Austin,  Texas.  New  Orleans  surrendered  the  body 
of  the  great  Southerner,  and,  with  every  ceremony 
and  dignity  it  was  escorted  to  Austin  in  January, 
1867. 

In  Galveston,  a  city  once  the  home  of  General 
Johnston,  upon  the  arrival  of  the  steamer,  great 
honor  was  shown  by  the  citizens,  and  upon  the 
arrival  in  Houston,  where  the  body  rested  for  a 
day  at  the  Houston  academy,  men,  women  and 
little  children  with  beautiful  flowers  covered  the 
casket.  Bells  tolled,  no  military  officers  were  seen 
on  the  street,  and  in  the  presence  of  thousands 
the  funeral  party  with  its  precious  burden  departed 
on  the  Houston  &  Texas  Central  railroad  for  Aus- 
tin. The  remains  were  presented  to  the  state  by 
Colonel  Ashbel  Smith ;  they  were  received  by  Gov- 
ernor Throckmorton ;  funeral  rites  were  observed 
in  the  old  capitol,  and  the  .mortal  part  of  the  peer- 
less leader  was  placed  in  the  State  cemetery. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  September  1906,  there 


n8  Texas  Hero  Stories 

was  unveiled  over  his  grave  a  beautiful  recmnbent 
statue  erected  in  accordance  with  a  provision  made 
by  the  Texas  legislature.  This  beautiful  statue 
marking  the  sacred  resting  place,  is  the  work  of 
the  Texas  sculptor,  Elisabet  Ney  of  Austin. 

Beloved  and  blest. 

He  rests  in  Texas  earth, 

Men  like  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  make  us  proud 
of  our  kind. 


FRANCIS  RICHARD  LUBBOCK. 


Our  War  Governor  119 


OUR  WAR  GOVERNOR 

As  if  to  illustrate  that  same  patriotic  devotion 
to  the  cause  of  his  people  which  had  marked  his 
youth  and  mature  manhood,  Francis  Richard  Lub- 
bock  lingered  in  the  fullness  of  years  to  watch  and 
approve  the  state's  wondrous  work,  and  unto  the 
end  of  his  useful  life  to  "  look  forward  "  and  to 
hope. 

His  life  is  the  story  of  the  splendid  growth  of 
Texas  from  pioneer  struggle  to  the  power  and  vigor 
of  a  glorious  commonwealth.  Much  that  is  intrin- 
sic in  the  history  of  Texas  is  a  part  of  his  service 
to  this  state.  Spanning  intervals,  his  official  career 
covers  a  period  of  fifty-six  years. 

In  spite  of  tempting  opportunities  to  err,  to  stoop 
from  his  high  pedestal  of  the  confidence  of  the 
people,  he  remained  until  the  end  trustworthy  and 
unselfishly  interested  in  the  needs,  advancement 
and  excellence  of  Texas. 

Francis  Richard  Lubbock,.  born  in  Beaufort. 
South  Carolina,  on  the  sixteenth  day  of  October 
1815,  was  the  son  of  Henry  W.  and  Susan  Ann  Sal- 
ters  Lubbock.  When  he  was  young  his  parents 
moved  to  Charleston,  where  he  first  went  to  school; 
next  he  attended  Beaufort  college,  and  later  the 


I2O  Texas  Hero  Stories 

South  Carolina  Society  school,  into  which  only  chil- 
dren of  members  were  admitted. 

When  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  his  father 
died,  leaving  a  small  estate.  Frank  was  the  oldest 
of  seven  children,  and  he  immediately  sought  em- 
ployment that  he  might  assist  his  mother  in  caring 
for  her  large  family.  It  had  been  his  father's  hope 
and  intention  that  young  Frank  should  enter  the 
National  Military  Academy  at  West-  Point.  This 

*>  j 

opportunity  was  offered,  but  because  his  mother, 
brothers  and  sisters  were  dependent  upon  him, 
young  Lubbock  abandoned,  with  noble  self-sacri- 
fice, the  opportunity,  at  that  time  very  rare,  of 
securing  a  thorough  education  and  a  knowledge 
of  military  affairs.  He  was  rewarded  later  for 
this  devotion  to  duty  and  love  for  his  mother. 

In  1834,  with  small  capital  he  went  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business. 
Though  only  nineteen  years  of  age,  his  business 
prospered,  until  1836—37,  which  years  mark  a  finan- 
cial revolution.  Under  the  stringency  of  the  times 
the  youthful  merchant  succumbed  and  surrendered 
every  dollar  to  his  creditors. 

He  enrolled  in  the  New  Orleans  Grays,  a  com- 
pany organized  in  New  Orleans  under  Captain 
W.  G.  Cook,  for  service  in  Texas.  He  participated 
in  the  capture  of  San  Antonio  and  .the  surrender 
of  Cos  to  the  Texans  in  1835. 

In  1836  he  moved  his  family  to  Texas,  landing 
at  Quintana,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Brazos.  In  1837 


Our  War  Governor  121 

he  removed  to  Houston,  which  city  became  the  seat 
of  government  the  next  year.  The  state  archives 
were  soon  moved  to  Houston  from  Columbia  and 
an  extra  session  of  Congress  was  called.  F.  R. 
Lubbock  was  elected  assistant  clerk  of  that  congress 
and  at  the  next  session  chief  clerk.  During  this 
session  E.  M.  Pease,  tlie  comptroller,  resigned,  and 
Lubbock,  though  only  twenty-two  years  of  age  was 
nominated  by  President  Houston  to  fill  the  vacancy, 
and  the  nomination  was  confirmed  by  the  senate. 
During  the  administration  of  President  Lamar,  who 
succeeded  Houston,  he  was  removed  for  political 
reasons,  the  chief  one  being  his  allegiance  to  the 
Houston  party. 

Until  1841  he  engaged  in  wood  chopping  and 
farming  on  Buffalo  Bayou.  Upon  the  accession 
of  General  Houston  to  the  presidency  he  was  again 
appointed  and  confirmed  comptroller,  and  removed 
to  Austin,  the  seat  of  government.  He  soon  re- 
signed the  comptrollership  to  accept  the  office  of 
district  clerk  of  Harris  county,  which  office  he  held 
for  sixteen  consecutive  years. 

In  1857  Runnels  and  Lubbock  were  nominated, 
respectively,  for  governor  and  lieutenant  governor, 
and  were  elected  by  good  majorities.  Lubbock  was 
so  honored  in  recognition  of  his  effective  fight 
against  the  Know  Nothing  party.  In  1859  Runnels 
and  Lubbock  were  again  nominated,  but  were  de- 
feated by  General  Sam  Houston  and  Colonel  Ed- 
ward Clark.  Lubbock  then  returned  to  farm  life 


122  Texas  Hero  Stories 

near  Houston.  In  1856  he  was  a  presidential  elec- 
tor and  in  1860  a  delegate  to  the  Charleston  and 
Baltimore  convention. 

In  1861  he  was  elected  governor  of  Texas  and 
inaugurated  in  November  of  that  year.  His  two 
years'  service  was  devoted  to  establishing  the  in- 
dependence of  the  Confederate  states,  and  to  pro- 
tecting the  Texas  frontiers  from  the  Indians  and 
Mexicans. 

As  "  war  governor,"  problems  grave,  perplexing 
and  momentous  presented  themselves  for  his  solu- 
tion, but  never  once  did  his  love  for  Texas  and  the 
Confederacy  falter. 

One  of  the  very  important  events  of  his  admin- 
istration was  the  capture  of  the  Harriet  Lane,  com- 
manded by  Commodore  Wainright,  in  Galveston 
harbor,  by  the  Confederates  under  General  Ma- 
gruder  on  New  Year's  clay,  1863.  Upon  the  signal 
being  given,  the  Confederate  boats  Neptune  and 
Bayou  City  attacked  the  Harriet  Lane,  firing  from 
behind  a  bulwark  of  cotton  bales.  Captain  Wain- 
right  was  killed. 

The  Neptune  was  sunk,  the  Bayou  City  soon 
became  entangled  in  the  rigging  of  the  Harriet 
Lane,  and  the  Texans  leaped  on  board  and  took 
possession.  Her  officers  were  lost  and  she  sur- 
rendered. The  Confederates  lost  twelve  men  killed 
and  sixty-five  wounded,  the  Federals  lost  150  killed 
and  a  large  number  wounded.  The  Federal  soldiers 
on  land  surrendered  after  a  persistent  fight;  the 


Our  War  Governor  123 

Federal  ship  Westficld  in  trying  to  leave  the  harbor 
ran  aground  and  the  Federals  blew  her  up  to  pre- 
vent her  capture.  For  the  remainder  of  the  war 
Texas  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Confederates.  With 
less  earnest,  careful  management  during  these  dark 
days,  the  people  of  our  state  would  have  suffered 
and  our  honor  been  sacrificed.  In  1863  he  actively 
entered  the  conflict,  was  commissioned  and  assigned 
to  duty  under  General  Magruder  as  lieutenant  col- 
onel. 

In  1864  he  was  summoned  to  Richmond,  Va., 
where  President  Jefferson  Davis,  of  the  Confed- 
erate States  of  America,  appointed  him  one  of  his 
aids  with  the  rank  of  colonel  of  cavalry,  his  first 
official  duty  being  to  "  proceed  at  once  to  the  front, 
for  investigation  of  the  condition  and  needs  of  the 
soldiers  of  the  trans-Mississippi  department  "  (the 
soldiers  \vest  of  the  Mississippi  river). 

Colonel  Lubbock  was  captured  and  carried  first 
to  Fortress  Monroe,  later  to  Fort  Delaware,  near 
Philadelphia,  where  for  seven  months  he  was  kept 
in  closest  confinement.  He  returned  to  Houston 
on  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  December,  1865,  locating 
at  Harrisburg,  near  Houston.  In  1875  he  was  ap- 
pointed tax  collector,  and  in  1876,  he  was  elected 
state  treasurer,  serving  until  1893.  He  died  at 
Austin,  Texas,  on  the  twenty-second  day  of  June, 
1905,  and  he  is  buried  in  the  state  cemetery,  where 
sleep  many  of  Texas'  devoted  patriots. 

He  lived  in  full  reverence  of  God,  sincere  and 


124  Texas  Hero  Stories 

secure.  He  did  not  retrograde,  but  positively  and 
constantly  went  forward,  keeping  abreast  with  the 
progress  and  development  of  his  state.  He  exem- 
plified his  interpretation  of  "  helpfulness  "  by  being 
most  willing  to  help  those  who  tried  to  help  them- 
selves. At  his  passing,  Texas  wept,  and  his  life  is 
a  fond  and  fadeless  memory.  He  was  a  constant 
friend,  a  Christian  gentleman,  a  loyal,  loving  Texan. 


JOHN  H.  REAGAN. 


The  Old  Roman  125 


THE  OLD  ROMAN 

JOHN  H.  REAGAN  was  an  integral  part  of  that  day 
in  Texas  when  no  eye  could  see  and  no  voice  foretell 
the  magnitude,  the  might  and  the  glory  of  the  in- 
fant republic,  or  know  of  the  brave,  the  heroic  and 
the  enduring  parts  which  were  to  be  taken  by  her 
sturdy  sons. 

He  was  original,  a  type  himself,  and  far  removed 
in  intellect  and  heart  from  the  average  man. 
Faithfulness  rather  than  genius,  and  patience  rather 
than  strenuousness,  marked  his  life,  and  whether 
defending  Texas  against  the  Indians,  in  the  courts, 
in  congress,  or  a  citizen  in  private  life,  we  find 
the  law  of  individuality  strictly  observed  in  him. 
He  was  no  imitation,  for  he  stood  alone,  separate 
and  distinct.  When  the  war  between  the  states  be- 
came a  certainty  and  state  was  allied  against  state, 
there  was  no  doubt  or  hesitation  in  regard  to 
what  he  should  do,  for  he  had  convictions,  courage 
and  character.  He  loved  the  whole  great  country 
and  would  have  been  glad  for  it  to  have  remained 
one,  with  no  division  or  strife,  but  he  loved  the 
South,  and  Texas  the  best  of  all. 

As  a  member  of  the  cabinet  of  the  Confederate 
States  of  America,  he  was  the  friend  and  supporter 


126  Texas  Hero  Stories 

of  President  Davis,  and  when  the  Confederacy  was 
no  more  he  remained  with  him,  in  loyalty  and 
truest  friendship,  risking  his  life  to  do  it,  and  be- 
cause of  his  courage  and  conviction  spending  bleak 
unwholesome  months  in  gloomy  Fort  Warren 
prison  in  Boston  harbor.  Nor  was  he  alone. 
Alexander  Stephens,  vice-president  of  the  Confed- 
eracy, the  great  southern  historian,  shared  with 
him  the  prison  sufferings.  For  the  Confederacy, 
its  cause,  principles,  teachings  and  example,  beat 
the  great  heart  of  Judge  Reagan. 

Because  of  his  strength  of  character,  fearless 
leadership,  and  willingness  to  accept  the  results 
of  right,  whatever  they  might  be,  he  has  long 
been  called '"The  Old  Roman." 

One  act  of  his  life,  if  there  was  none  other,  shows 
his  unselfish  love  for  Texas  and  her  well-being.  He 
resigned  a  seat  in  the  United  States  senate  to  be- 
come chairman  of  the  railroad  commission  of  Texas, 
a  tribunal  new  and  untried,  and  this  certainly  shows 
his  farseeing  appreciation  of  the  State  and  her  peo- 
pie. 

In  his  declining  years,  spent  at  his  picturesque 
home,  Fort  Houston,  near  Palestine,  he  prepared 
a  volume  of  memoirs,  which  volume  is  a  precious 
inheritance  to  the  citizens  of  this  state  and  to 
every  boy  and  girl,  for  it  includes  that  which  is 
historic  in  the  civil  and  political  development  of 
our  state  and  many  personal  reminiscences  akin  to 
his  life,  so  broad  and  so  full,  before,  during  and 


The  Old  Roman.  127 

since  the  war  and  up  to  a  short  time  prior  to  his 
death. 

John  Henninger  Reagan,  son  of  Timothy  R.  and 
Elizabeth  Lusk  Reagan,  was  born  in  Sevier  county, 
Tenn.,  on  the  eighth  day  of  October,  1818.  His 
ancestors  were  living  in  America  prior  to  the  war 
of  the  American  revolution  and  his  great-grand- 
father, a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  revolution,  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Brandywine. 

He  first  attended  school  at  Nancy  academy, 
Sevierville.  When,  on  account  of  financial  diffi- 
culties, his  father  could  no  longer  send  him  to 
school,  he  determined  to  secure  an  education  for 
himself.  He  found  employment  with  a  Major 
Walker  for  one  year  at  farm-work,  receiving  his 
pay  in  corn  at  two  shillings  per  bushel.  His  next 
earnings,  received  from  managing  a  set  of  saw- 
mills, enabled  him  to  attend  Marysville  college 
for  two  sessions. 

He  was  next  engaged  by  his  old  employer,  Major 
Walker  of  Sevier  county,  as  bookkeeper  in  his 
country  store.  In  order  to  obtain  employment 
which  would  pay  him  better,  in  order  that  he  might 
graduate,  he  left  Tennessee  and  went  direct  to 
Decatur,  Ala.  Here  he  refused  a  flattering  op- 
portunity to  go  in  the  liquor  business,  as  he  did 
not  wish  to  be  thrown  in  contact  with  such  con- 
ditions and  surroundings.  From  Decatur  he  went 
to  Memphis,  Tenn.;  thence  to.  Natchez,  Miss., 
where  he  secured  a  position  as  teacher.  But  be- 


128  Texas  Hero  Stories 

fore  assuming  the  duties  of  schoolmaster,  a  more 
lucrative  position  was  tendered  him  as  manager 
of  a  farm,  which  he  accepted  and  held  for  some 
months. 

He  left  Natchez  on  a  boat  on  the  Red  river,  in- 
tending to  go  to  Alexandria,  La.,  but  on  the  boat 
he  met  a  Colonel  Strode,  a  merchant  from  Nacog- 
doches, Texas,  who  made  him  an  offer  of  $800 
a  year  to  sell  goods  for  him  in  Nacogdoches.  He 
accepted  the  offer  and  came  to  Texas  in  1839. 

At  this  time  there  were  probably  not  ioO,ooo 
white  people  in  the  republic  of  Texas  and  there 
were  but  twenty-six  states  in  the  union.  He  fought 
the  Indians  and  gave  valuable  assistance  in  pro- 
tecting the  frontier  when  he  first  came  to  Texas. 
From  1839  to  1843  ne  was  busily  engaged  as  deputy 
surveyor  of  the  public  lands  of  Texas,  traversing 
the  picturesque  country  in  the  eastern  portion  of 
the  state,  camping  for  days  in  the  woods  and  near 
the  rivers  in  middle  Texas  and  becoming  familiar 
with  the  physical  conditions  of  the  new  republic. 

He  began  the  study  of  law  in  1844,  without  a 
teacher  and  with  few  books  other  than  the  -ele- 
mentary branches  of  the  law.  In  1846  he  received 
a  temporary  license  to  practice  in  the  district  and 
inferior  courts,  his  office  being  located  at  .Buffalo, 
on  the  Trinity  river.  In  1847  he  was  elected  to  the 
state  legislature  from  the  Nacogdoches  district.  In 
1848  he  received  regular  license  to  practice  law  in 
the  district  and  inferior  courts  of  Texas,  and  a 


The  Old  Roman  129 

little  later  he  was  licensed  to  practice  in  the  supreme 
court  of  the  state.  In  1857  he  was  authorized  to 
practice  in  the  supreme  and  inferior  courts  of  the 
United  States.  In  1852  he  was  elected  district 
judge,  his  district  including  the  counties  of  Hous- 
ton, Anderson,  Henderson,  Van  Zandt,  Navarro, 
Ellis,  Kaufman,  Tarrant  and  Dallas.  In  1851  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Palestine,  Anderson  county. 
In  1857  he  was  elected  to  congress  from  the  first 
district  of  Texas.  He  was  re-elected  to  the  national 
congress  in  1859.  In  1861  the  secession  conven- 
tion elected  him  deputy  to  the  provisional  govern- 
ment of  the  Confederacy.  This  same  year  he  was 
appointed  post-master  general  of  the  provisional 
government  of  the  Confederacy.  In  1862  the  Con- 
federate government  retained  him  in  that  honorable 
office,  whose  duties  he  discharged  until  the  close  of 
the  war. 

During  the  administration  of  the  Confederate 
government,  for  a  short  time  he  acted  as  secretary 
of  the  treasury.  He  re-entered  the  national  con- 
gress in  1875,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  state 
convention,  serving  as  chairman  of  the  judiciary 
committee,  which  formed  the  constitution  of  1876. 

He  served  in  the  Forty-fourth,  Forty-fifth,  Forty- 
sixth,  Forty-seventh,  Forty-eighth  and  Forty-ninth 
congresses  including  the  years  1877  to  1887.  He 
was  United  States  senator  from  Texas  during  the 
years  1887  to  1891,  the  Fiftieth  and  the  Fifty-first 
congresses.  In  June,  1891,  he  resigned  his  seat  in 


130  Texas  Hero  Stories 

the  senate  of  the  United  States  to  accept  the  chair- 
manship of  the  Texas  railroad  commission,  which 
was  created  in  accord  with  an  amendment  to  the 
state  constitution  passed  on  the  nineteenth  day  of 
December,  1890,  and  an  act  of  the  Texas  legisla- 
ture, passed  on  the  third  day  of  April,  1891.  He 
held  the  chairmanship  of  the  Texas  railroad  com- 
mission for  eleven  and  a  half  years,  when  he  vol- 
untarily resigned  and  retired  to  private  life  in  his 
home,  Fort  Houston,  near  Palestine,  Texas,  where 
he  died  in  April,  1905. 

In  accord  with  nature's  law,  ripe  in  years  and 
waiting,  he  entered  into  rest,  in  the  eighty-seventh 
year  of  his  noble,  unselfish  life. 

A  grateful  people  will  ever  revere  his  memory. 


JAMES  STEPHEN  HOGG. 


The  Tribune  of  the  People  131 


THE  TRIBUNE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 

THE  mention  of  the  name,  James  Stephen  Hogg, 
brings  a  brightening  to  the  eye  and  a  quickening 
to  the  heart  of  Texans.  Magnetic  leadership,  when 
it  is  directed  to  all  that  is  good,  enduring,  true  and 
steadfast,  when  it  inspires  the  best  impulses  in  men 
and  stimulates  them  to  action,  is  a  gift  from  God 
and  fulfills  His  law  and  plans  for  us.  A  great 
leader  whose  powers  are  directed  for  good  is  a 
benefactor  to  mankind,  bringing  understanding, 
growth  and  good  will,  excluding  selfishness,  vanity, 
love  of  display  and  all  useless  burdens  to  the  peo- 
ple. 

By  nature  a  great  leader  was  James  Stephen 
Hogg,  and  his  true  motive  was  genuine  love  for 
the  people  and  an  unselfish  interest  in  their  welfare. 
To  the  young  men  of  Texas,  because  of  his  in- 
dustry, ability  and  determination  to  conquer  dif- 
ficulties, his  truthfulness  and  rugged  simplicity, 
his  life  will  ever  be  an  inspiration.  By  his  faith- 
fulness to  every  trust,  great  and  small,  his  fearless 
and  aggressive  honesty,  his  earnestness  and  plain 
speech,  he  won  and-  deserved  the  respect  of  all  who 
came  near  him. 

The     hardships,     privations,     self-sacrifices     and 


132  Texas  Hero  Stories 

well-fought  battles  of  his  early  years  purified  the 
gold  of  his  character,  for  in  his  youth  time  there 
was  little  ease  and  idleness.  Of  great  hope,  great 
ambitions  and  a  determination  to  make  a  man  of 
himself  by  overcoming  every  difficulty,  he  struggled, 
on  and  on,  preparing  himself  in  the  valuable 
schools  of  patience,  endurance,  self-understanding, 
broad  sympathy  and  faith  in  God.  His  was  a  life 
of  unstinted  labor,  increasing  effort,  great  propor- 
tions and  great  results. 

From  the  first  bread-winning  struggle  of  a  poor 
boy  to  the  brightest  place  in  the  hearts  of  his  people 
there  was  a  steady,  wholesome  growth.  It  is  all 
real,  human,  delightful  and  helpful. 

Endowed  physically  and  mentally  with  the  ma- 
terials which  make  greatness  by  the  natural  law 
of  development,  greatness  came  to  him;  it  was 
his  inheritance.  He  was  great  by  nature,  not  by 
chance,  circumstance  or  accident.  Under  all  cir- 
cumstances he  would  have  been  a  great  man,  for 
under  all  circumstances,  favorable  or  unfavorable, 
pleasant  or  unpleasant,  he  would  have  been  himself, 
with  an  individuality,  a  unique  bearing  and  a 
presence  all  his  own. 

As  justice  of  the  peace,  county  attorney,  district 
attorney,  attorney  general  or  governor,  his  service 
was  signalized  by  a  fearless  interpretation  of  duty, 
with  no  hesitation  to  incur  "  the  ill  will  of  the  law- 
less." 

During  the  years  of  his  public  service,  crowded 


The  Tribune  of  the  People  133 

with  labor  and  honor,  he  was  first,  last  and 
always  the  friend  of  the  people ;  their  well-being 
was  his  first  thought ;  he  believed  in  the  aristocracy 
of  brain  and  heart,  and  nothing  could  wean  from 
him  the  esteem,  the  confidence,  the  love  of  the  com- 
mon people.  All  who  were  worthy  were  welcome 
in  his  presence ;  it  was  only  those  whom  he  con- 
sidered the  enemies  to  right,  and  truth  whom  he 
positively  refused  to  call  his  friends.  Among  his 
friends  were  some  of  the  truest  patriots  of  his 
time. 

His  private  life  was  without  reproach  and  his 
home  was  of  the  kind  which  is  the  foundation  of 
all  solid  national  governments,  love,  faith  in  God 
and  consideration  one  for  the  other  blessing  it. 

Among  this  good  man's  devoted  friends  were 
little  children ;  there  was  a  tenderness  and  a  sweetr 
ness  in  his  nature,  and  little  ones  who  seem  to  know 
intuitively  who  is  good,  loved  and  trusted  him.  He 
was  probably  more  generally  loved  than  any  man 
who  ever  lived  in  Texas,  having  an  absolute  hold 
upon  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

'He  was  a  thorough  and  an  adoring  Texan  and 
a  superb  product  of  this  state ! 

James  Stephen  Hogg,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
was  born  on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  March,  1851, 
near  Rusk,  Cherokee  county,  Texas.  His  father, 
Joseph  Lewis,  and  his  mother,  Lucinda  McMath 
Hogg,  moved  to  the  republic  of  Texas  in  1839,  lo- 
cating first  near  Nacogdoches.  Joseph  Lewis  Hogg 


134  Texas  Hero  Stories 

represented  his  district  in  the  Eighth  Texas  con- 
gress, which  held  its  session  at  Old  Washington; 
in  1843  an(l  J844,  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  annexa- 
tion convention  which  sat  at  Austin  on  July  4,  1845, 
and  a  member  of  the  State  senate  of  the  First  Texas 
legislature,  in  1846.  Senator  Hogg  resigned  his 
seat  in  the  senate  to  give  volunteer  service  under 
Governor  Henderson's  leadership  in  the  Mexican 
war.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  resumed  his  seat 
in  the  senate.  He  voted  for  secession  and  joined 
the  Confederate  army  in  1861,  with  a  commission 
as  brigadier  general  from  President  Davis.  He 
died  in  May,  1863,  while  commanding  his  brigade 
at  Corinth. 

At  the  age  of  n,  James  Stephen,  left  an  orphan, 
was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources.  After  attend- 
ing school  for  a  short  time,  he  left  Cherokee  county 
and  went  to  Longview,  where  he  obtained  employ- 
ment as  "  devil  "  in  a  printing  office.  He  saved 
enough  money  to  buy  the  printing  outfit  which  he 
moved  to  Quitman,  Wood  county,  and  became  the 
editor  of  the  Quitman  News.  He  studied  law  at 
night  and  whenever  he  could  spare  the  time  from 
the  paper,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Wood 
county  in  1874,  aged  twenty-four  years. 

Having  successfully  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  in  1878  he  was  elected  county  attorney  of 
Wood  county,  and  in  1880  he  was  elected  district 
attorney  of  the  Seventh  Judicial  district. 

After  four  years  of  satisfactory  service  he  moved 


The  Tribune  of  the  People  135 

to  Tyler,  where  he  devoted  himself  exclusively  to 
his  private  practice.  He  became  a  candidate  for 
attorney  general  in  1886,  was  elected,  and  filled  this 
very  important  office  with  distinction  for  four  years. 

His  administration  as  attorney  general  is  marked 
in  that  he  compelled  all  corporations  to  comply  with 
the  law,  actually  and  really,  "  to  the  letter."  He 
was  firm  and  unswerving  in  this,  and  for  this,  if 
for  no  other  service,  Texas  is  deeply  grateful  to 
him.  There  was  no  evading  of  the  law,  nor  was 
there  any  misinterpretation  of  it.  Fearless,  just, 
sure  of  the  right,  always  ready  to  take  the  initia- 
tive, he  stood  firmly  by  the  constitution  of  the  state 
of  Texas  and  forced  others  to  do  it. 

In  1890  he  announced  himself  a  candidate  for 
governor,  selecting  his  birthplace  as  the  scene  of 
his  opening  speech,  and  he  was  elected  by  a  mag- 
nificent majority  and  inaugurated  on  the  thirtieth 
day  of  January,  1891. 

The  first  important  action  of  his  administration 
was  the  creation  of  the  railroad  commission  of 
Texas,  a  tribunal  which  has  served  as  a  model  for 
many  other  state  commissions  since  established. 
Through  the  influence  of  Governor  Hogg  laws  were 
passed  regulating  land  ownership  in  Texas  and 
restricting  the  ownership  of  lands  by  corporations 
on  prescribed  conditions.  These  were  public  serv- 
ices of  wonderful  magnitude. 

The  corporations,  or  the  "  conservative  element," 
opposed  Governor  Hogg's  second  term  and  vigor- 


136  Texas  Hero  Stories 

ously  fought  for  their  candidate,  Judge  George 
Clark  of  McLennan  county.  It  was  a  spirited  cam- 
paign, feeling  ran  high  and  the  entire  state  was 
aroused.  Governor  Hogg  was  re-elected. 

He  retired  from  the  governorship  in  1895  and 
renewed  the  practice  of  law,  first  in  Austin  and  later 
in  Houston. 

He  died  in  Houston,  on  the  third  day  of  March, 
1906.  On  the  day  before  he  died,  Governor 
Hogg,  speaking  informally  to  his  family  and 
friends,  stated  that  it  was  his  desire  that  a  pecan 
and  a  walnut  tree  be  placed  at  the  head  and  at  the 
foot  of  his  grave,  that  the  children  of  Texas 
might  gather  the  nuts  and  plant  them  near  their 
homes.  Thus,  in  time,  might  Texas  soil  bring 
forth  rich  harvests  of  pecans  and  walnuts. 

Though  his  virtues  will  be  commemorated  in 
marble  and  bronze,  and  statues  erected  to  tell  the 
stranger  of  his  life  and  death,  the  great  work  which 
he  accomplished  for  the  plain  people  will  be  his 
enduring  monument. 

To  a  place  high  on  the  roll  of  her  illustrious  sons 
will  Texas  write  his  name,  for  he  has  left  a  record 
made  by  few  men  in  any  state  or  in  any  epoch  of 
national  life. 


The  Sibyl's  Story  137 


THE  SIBYL'S  STORY 

THE  ancients  believed  that  the  records  of  each 
nation  were  carefully  chronicled  and  guarded  by 
a  "  Sibyl." 

A  Sibyl  was  a  prophetess,  or  one  who  could  fore- 
cast the  future.  This  Sibyl  kept  a  clear  and  ac- 
curate record,  and  she  judged  the  future  of  a  coun- 
try by  consulting  the  annals  of  its  past.  Hers  was 
inspired  wisdom.  She  was  never  mistaken,  and 
kings  and  great  soldiers  have  been  known  to  offer 
her  crowns  and  kingdoms,  thrones  and  principali- 
ties, to  give  unto  their  possession  the  priceless 
books. 

Only  one  time  did  the  Sibyline  books  ever  come 
into  the  possession  of  a  king.  During  the  reign  of 
Tarquinus,  king  of  Rome,  the  Sibyl,  who  was  an 
adoring  patriot  as  well  as  a  prophetess,  realizing 
the  hopeless  dangers  to  which  her  country  was 
about  to  be  exposed,  and  determined  to  protect  her 
people,  pleaded  with  the  king  to  purchase  the  books. 

Her  books,  nine  in  number,  contained  the  records 
of  the  past  history  of  Rome  and  prophecies  of  her 
future.  The  king,  who  believed  in  his  own  powers 
and  thought  little  of  hers  refused,  so  the  Sibyl  re- 
turned to  her  home  and  destroyed  three  of  the 


138  Texas  Hero  Stories 

books.  She  went  again  to  the  king  and  asked  the 
first  price  for  the  remaining  six  and  the  king  again 
refused.  Burning  three  more,  she  went  back  to  the 
king,  asking  the  same  price.  This  so  excited  the 
king  that  he  purchased  the  three  at  her  original 
price,  and  the  Sibyl  vanished. 

These  books,  written  on  palm  leaves  and  in  verse, 
were  constantly  consulted  by  the  Romans,  who 
abided  absolutely  by  their  decisions,  and  the  people 
were  led  to  great  victories  in  peace  and  war.  After 
these  visits  of  the  Sibyl  her  warnings  and  proph- 
ecies were  believed  by  all  of  the  people. 

Let  us  visit  our  Sibyl,  view  the  pages  of  her  book, 
and  judge,  with  her,  our  country's  future  by  consult- 
ing the  annals  of  its  glorious  past. 

We  find  her  in  her  temple  high  on  a  hill,  which 
overlooks  fair  fields  of  ripening  grain,  sitting, 
thinking,  looking  in  quiet  gaze  at  the  pages  of  her 
great  book. 

Upon  a  picture  here  and  there  her  mind  seems 
riveted.  She  looks  long  and  lovingly  at  the  toils, 
trials  and  hardships  in  the  wilderness,  at  the  suffer- 
ing men  and  women,  the  boats  freighted  with 
human  life,  lost  upon  river  and  bay,  and  the  hearts 
that  ache  with  loneliness. 

She  pauses  to  point  to  the  priests  in  the  missions 
who  are  trying  to  teach  the  Indians  good  and 
useful  things,  exposing  themselves  to  every  danger 
and  sparing  no  means  to  bring  the  Indians  to 
Christianity.  Her  lips  move  as  she  remembers  the 


The  Sibyl's  Story  139 

waiting",  patient  faces  of  those  women  whose  hus- 
bands followed  their  leaders  into  the  wilderness, 
who  wait  and  watch  and  pray  for  the  precious  pres- 
ence which  has  gone  out  forever. 

The  Sibyl  stops  to  show  us  the  graves  marked 
by  a  solitary  cross  which  silently  speak  the  agony 
of  those  whose  loved  ones  were  massacred  by 
savages  or  who  died  from  the  ravages  of  disease. 
She  turns  the  pages  of  her  records  slowly  as  she 
follows  a  splendid  form  through  acres  of  maguey 
plant,  over  highways  bordered  by  hedges  where 
bandits  hide,  into  a  beautiful  foreign  city,  and  she 
hears  his  appeal  to  the  authorities,  his  pleadings 
for  his  people. 

She  looks  across  the  mist  of  years  at  Goliad  and 
the  Alamo,  lovingly  calls  the  martyrs'  names,  and 
then  upon  a  battlefield,  where  she  sees  a  strong 
man,  with  broad  brow,  determined  face  and  nerves 
of  steel,  fighting  a  horde  of  brown-skinned,  savage 
soldiers. 

Another  picture  shows  this  same  determined  man 
carefully  guarding  and  guiding,  as  its  head,  an 
infant  nation,  and  the  Sibyl  explains  that  this  nation 
claims  its  own  flag,  which  we  call  "  The  flag  of 
the  republic  of  Texas."  The  pictures  which  follow 
this  one  show  homes  being  erected,  farms  culti- 
vated, boats  landing,  chapels  and  churches  going 
up  in  every  community. 

Next,  Texas  is  shown  as  one  of  many  great  states 
in  a  great  union.  Her  flag  is  changed,  and  now 


140  Texas  Hero  Stories 

the  "  red,  white  and  blue  "  waves  over  her  new 
homes.  But  ere  we  pass  this  picture,  there  ap- 
pears another,  not  unlike  some  others.  The 
Texans  are  again  leaving  their  homes  to  fight ;  to 
fight  the  same  Mexicans,  who  need  one  more  lesson 
to  teach  them  that  they  are  fighting  men  of  another 
race  than  theirs.  The  Texans,  'neath  the  red,  white 
and  blue,  are  fighting  with  the  other  Americans 
against  Mexico. 

After  the  war  with  Mexico  comes  a  sweet,  rest- 
ful picture.  The  soldiers  are  returning  to  their 
homes,  and  their  energy  and  determination  are 
turned  to  home-building  and  home-beautifying, 
and  the  Texas  homes  of  this  period  in  our  history 
were  among  the  most  characteristic  and  picturesque 
of  any  in  the  Southland. 

Then,  a  picture  appears  which  "  looks  like  war," 
but  of  its  own  particular  kind.  One  man,  or  not 
more  than  two  or  three  men,  are  pursuing  a  band  of 
Indians,  Mexicans  or  desperadoes  across  our 
border ;  then  they  rush  back  to  give  care  and  com- 
fort to  the  unprotected  settler,  his  wife  and  his 
children. 

The  Sibyl  believes  in  the  Texas  Ranger,  and 
tells  us  that  he  has  had  a  part  in  each  phase  of  our 
wonderful  growth. 

Now,  the  sad,  sad  pictures. 

These  same  Texans  who  are  enjoying  a  well- 
earned  rest  in. their  quiet  homes,  are  called  away. 
In  large  numbers  they  leave,  men  and  boys,  march- 


The  Sibyl's  Story  141 

ing  under  the  flag  which  we  call  the  "  Stars  and 
Bars,"  for  Texas  is  now  in  a  new  government,  the 
"  Confederacy,"  and  these  same  Texans  who  fought 
for  their  rights  at  San  Jacinto,  who  fought  side  by 
side  with  their  fellow  Americans  in  Mexico's  capital, 
know  how  to  fight  for  their  adored  Southland,  and 
for  four  long  years  many  a  battlefield  was  hal- 
lowed with  the  blood  of  Texas  soldiers. 

Then  we  silently  turn  to  pictures  of  sad-faced 
women  and  little  children,  deserted  homes  and 
homes  with  funeral  crepe  upon  the  door  where  a 
father  or  a  son  lies  dead,  and  over  the.  long,  wind- 
ing roads  and  pathways  we  see  the  broken-hearted, 
desolate  soldier  slowly  returning  to  his  Texas  home. 

We  see  the  Texan  as  a  "  Clansman,"  protecting 
his  own  home  and  that  of  his  neighbor  from  the 
hideous  crimes  of  the  "  reconstruction  "  days  after 
this  war,  and  then,  in  spite  of  every  hardship,  and 
the  crudest  disappointments,  we  see  these  soldiers 
rising  above  difficulties  and  trials,  and  the  remain- 
ing pages  of  the  Sibyl's  book  exhibit  in  glowing 
color  and  illuminated  page  what  has  been  the  work 
of  the  Texans  since  the  war,  and  how  the  Texan 
is  a  soldier  in  time  of  peace. 

As  she  turns  many  pages  at  a  time  she  points  to 
the  railroads  which  have  taken  the  place  of  the 
prairie  wagons  and  stage  coaches,  and  to  the  tele- 
phone and  telegraph  lines  which  show  that  the 
duties  of  the  messenger  rider  are  over  forever. 
We  are  not  able  to  count  the  townr  which  ap- 


142  Texas  Hero  Stories 

pear,  one  after  the  other,  filled  with  bright-faced, 
happy,  busy  men  and  women,  all  intent  upon  accom- 
plishing something. 

She  points  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  child  to  the 
various  pictures.  The  first  is  a  city  by  the  sea, 
where  a  great  wall  is  erected  to  protect  the  city 
from  the  wind  and  the  wave.  She  stops  to  foretell 
that  no  storm  or  tide  can  break  its  mighty  rocks 
from  their  foundations.  Galveston  is  safe  forever 
from  flood  and  destruction  and  ships  from  all  parts 
of  the  world  are  entering  her  harbor. 

Near  this  picture  is  another ;  a  city  whose  market 
is  overflowing  with  every  product  of  the  enterpris- 
ing truck  farmer.  Railroads  enter  this  city  from 
every  point  of  the  compass,  factories  are  busy,  and 
beautiful,  picturesque  homes  are  situated  in  every 
part  of  the  city.  Houston  is  gaining  every  day 
as  a  center  of  commercial  activity. 

She  pauses  at  the  picture  of  the  city  built  in  the 
hills :  at  a  building  of  native  stone,  in  size  exceed- 
ing the  ancient  temples,  surrounded  by  flowers,  trees, 
winding  walks  and  driveways,  with  here  and  there 
a  statue  or  a  monument  erected  to  the  memory 
of  some  great  Texan. 

This  is  our  state  house  in  the  city  of  Austin. 
Near  it  is  'the  university  planned  for  us  when 
Texas  was  a  republic.  There  are  other  splendid 
substantial  buildings  here,  and  ere  the  Sibyl  hurries 
past  she  tells  us  that  Texas  cares  for  all  of  her 
children,  not  only  those  robust  in  mind  and  body, 


The  Sibyl's  Story  143 

but  for  the  deaf  and  dumb,  the  blind  and  the  insane. 

In  the  beautiful  picture  of  San  Antonio,  we 
recognize  the  Alamo,  but  unlike  the  picture  we 
saw  in  the  first  pages  of  the  book,  it  is  now  sur- 
rounded by  busy  streets  and  business  houses. 
Near  it  is  a  handsome  government  building.  Men 
and  women  are  hurrying  to  and  fro,  for  the  old 
historic  town  of  Bexar  is  now  a  throbbing,  thriv- 
ing city.  Though  the  sacred  missions  are  safe 
in  their  historic  settings,  there  are  many  blocks  of 
business  houses,  handsome  churches,  homes  and 
parks. 

East  Texas,  with  its  fruits  and  pine  trees,  fine 
gardens,  red  hills,  good  old  homes  and  noble  people, 
is  still  sending  her  sons  to  fill  places  of  honor  and 
trust. 

The  city  of  Dallas  has  outgrown  the  fondest 
expectations  of  her  most  sanguine  citizens.  Her 
schools,  colleges,  superb  stone  and  steel  business 
houses,  her  enormous  cotton,  wheat  and  corn  sup- 
ply, and  her  citizenship,  including  men  from  every 
state  and  every  country,  place  her  very  high  on 
the  roll  of  Texas  cities. 

Fort  Worth,  which,  from  a  fort  on  the  Trinity 
river,  has  developed  like  magic  into  a  bustling,  up- 
to-date  city,  is  the  "Gateway  of  Our  West,". and 
few  cities  or  towns  in  Texas  more  thoroughly  speak 
the  growth  and  individuality  of  Texas  than  does 
Fort  Worth. 

North  of  Fort  Worth  and  west,  where  once  the 


144  Texas  Hero  Stories 

Indian  roamed  and  the  buffalo  in  herds  grazed  on 
the  silent  prairies,  civic  pride  has  so  advanced  as 
to  present  to  the  traveler  cities  and  towns  of  sub- 
stantial growth  and  marked  development.  In  each 
one,  the  largest  and  the  smallest,  are  schools  and 
churches. 

El  Paso,  the  old  "  pass  to  the  North,"  the  city 
on  our  Mexic  border,  is  a  charming  combination 
of  the  old  and  the  new,  the  ancient  and  the  modern. 

To  cross  the  Rio  Grande  at  El  Paso  is  like 
stepping  from  the  twentieth  to  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. On  our  side  is  a  typical  American  city  while 
across  the  river  is  the  quaint,  quiet,  curious  village, 
which  bespeaks  our  nearness  to  another  republic. 

At  the  various  health-giving  springs  and  wells  of 
Texas  are  suffering  men  and  women  from  many 
localities  come  to  regain  health  and  strength. 

The  Sibyl  shows  us  a  picture  of  a  cotton  field  in 
southern  Texas,  white  with  its  bursting  bolls,  the 
negroes  singing  as  they  gather  the  fleecy  product 
into  great  baskets,  and  she  tells  us  that  a  third  of 
the  cotton  raised  in  the  United  States  comes  from 
Texas. 

That  is  something  for  us  to  think  about.  Then, 
in  rapid  succession,  a  corn  field,  and  a  rice  field 
on  our  coast;  fruits,  vegetables  and  melons  grown 
in  our  own  soil,  the  size  of  which  leads  us  to  be- 
lieve that  surely  we  are  under  the  magic  influence 
of  the  Sibyl's  voice  and  power. 

The  tall,  dark  pine  trees  in  our  lumber  districts 


The  Sibyl's  Story  145 

seem  to  pierce  the  sky  and  the  Sibyl  tells  us  that 
our  lumber  market,  great  as  it  is,  is  not  near  what 
it  is  going  to  be. 

What  a  sight  confronts  us  as  we  view  the  last 
page  of  the  Sibyl's  book !  . 

There  are  millions  of  people  living  in  Texas  and 
others  coming  just  as  fast  as  they  can! 

In  many  cities  and  towns  factories  are  located, 
and  others  are  being  erected,  which  give  employ- 
ment to  thousands  of  men  and  women.  Electric 
cars  connect  the  Texas  cities,  and  others  are  in 
process  of  construction. 

The  Texas  oil  fields  are  attracting  the  attention 
of  the  world,  bringing  thousands  of  commercial 
men  to  Texas  each  year,  and  the  demand  for  Texas 
oil  is  constantly  increasing. 

We  cannot  possibly  see  the  extent  of  prairies 
covered  with  fine  cattle,  or  count  the  miles,  in 
splendid  cultivation,  of  cotton,  corn,  wheat,  oats, 
rye,  rice  and  tobacco.  Orchards,  without  bound, 
and  gardens  of  fairest  flowers  surround  the  Texas 
homes  in  the  city  or  in  the  open,  beautiful  country. 

In  every  county  are  substantial  school  houses, 
and  all  are  filled  with  ambitious,  energetic  boys  and 
girls  determined  to  win  for  Texas.  We  do  not 
wait  to  be  told  that  these  are  the  public  schools. 
Statues  and  monuments  are  being  erected  by  the 
Texas  people  as  tributes  of  gratitude  to  those 
heroes,  whose  names  the  Sibyl  called  as  she  turned 
the  pages  of  her  book. 


146  Texas  Hero  Stories 

\Ye  see  many  more  pictures,  for  there  are  many 
more  things  than  these  in  Texas,  but  to  call  the  name 
of  every  good  Texas  town  and  tell  of  its  particular 
"  goodness,"  and  to  name  all  of  the  advantages  of 
living  in  Texas,  would. require  a  much  larger  book, 
even  than  the  Sibyl's,  so  we  will  hurry  on  and  watch 
the  Sibyl  slowly  and  deliberately  close  her  book. 

We  remember  that  she  "  judges  the  future  of  a 
country  by  consulting  the  annals  of  its  past,"  and 
while  we  are  wondering  what  can  be  the  future 
of  a  people  who  so  well  deserve  success,  and  who 
have  paid  so  dearly  for  it,  the  Sibyl  begins  to  tell 
us  a  story,  introducing  her  favorite  characters. 

We  sit  fascinated  as  we  listen  to  the  Sibyl's 
Story : — 

Your  Texas  of  to-day  is  the  fond  realization  of 
the  hopes,  the  efforts  and  the  ambitions  of  the  brave 
"  Knight  of  King  Louis."  This  fearless  adventurer 
brought  with  him  faith,  courage,  energy  and  self- 
reliance.  These  have  remained  in  Texas  to  mark 
the  individuality  of  the  Texan.  These  powers 
guide  the  destiny  of  your  commonwealth  and  cre- 
ate "  the  spirit  of  Texas." 

Your  empire  founders  placed  the  first  stone  in.  a 
structure  which  has  grown  slowly,  steadily,  posi- 
tively ;  they  placed  the  foundation. 

Could  such  feats  in  a  wilderness,  performed 
amidst  peril  and  sickening  danger,  have  been  ac- 
complished without  an  inspiration,  without  a  pow- 
erful force  of  control? 


The  Sibyl's  Story  147 

The  impulse  to  colonize  Texas,  taking  hold,  as 
it  did,  upon  a  man  of  genius,  knowledge  and  great 
heart,  was  in  answer  to  the  spirit  of  Texas,  who 
selected  the  bravest,  the  choicest,  the  rarest,  and 
compelled  him  Texasward. 

Your  Texas  of  to-day  stands  to  verify,  to  in- 
dorse, to  fulfill  the  well-laid  plan  of  the  "  Father  of 
Texas." 

This  spirit  of_Texas  wooed,  begged  and  caressed 
the  Tennessee  "  Bear  Hunter,"  until  he  irresistibly 
answered  and  crossed  fen  and  moor,  in  rain  and 
sun,  to  fight  for  the  freedom  of  men  of  his  own 
race. 

This  same  spirit  made  death  in  the  Alamo  a  vic- 
tory !  It  inspired  the  hearts  of  martyrs  with  its 
power  of  faith,  as  their  souls  departed  to  the  God  of 
the  fearless  and  the  free,  "  to  be  enrolled  with  the 
hosts  of  the  glorified." 

On  the  morning  of  San  Jacinto,  the  great  chief- 
tain, master  of  men  and  actions  in  the  Providence 
of  God,  was  led  by  the  spirit  of  Texas.  He  was 
not  acting  for  an  hour  or  for  a  day,  but  for  all  time, 
for  all  history,  for  a  country's  destiny. 

He  looked  ahead  at  fair  fields  and  ripening  vine- 
yards, at  the  "  promised  land  "  which  is  yours  to- 
day. Like  the  great  leader  of  Israel,  he  led  his 
people  into  the  possession  of  a  God-given  inherit- 
ance. 

Peace  spreads  her  fair  wings  over  you  and  you 
are  free  from  dangers.  Your  homes,  your  cities, 


I4&  Texas  Hero  Stories 

your  state  have  been  spared  to  you  by  the  incar- 
nate spirits  of  Texas,  those  riders  over  plain  and 
prairie  who  form  in  their  organization,  your  pow- 
erful civic  protection. 

You  should  love  your  Rangers  on  the  plains  and 
with  grateful  hearts  remember  that  your  ease  and 
peace  of  mind  to-day  are  a  result  of  their  vigilance 
and  intrepid  manhood. 

Texas'  beloved  soldier-son  begged  to  sleep  his 
last  long  sleep  secure  in  her  arms.  The  great  en- 
gineer and  soldier  who  had  distanced  her  hills, 
plains  and  rivers  and  watched  her  stars  by  night, 
felt  the  spirit  of  Texas,  recognized  her  majestic 
possibilities  and  though  loved  by  an  entire  nation, 
the  "  Hero  of  Shiloh,"  even  unto  death,  loved  Texas 
best  of  all. 

Your  "  War  Governor  "  could  look  back  to  see 
and  forward  to  listen  in  so  unique  and  important 
a  time  did  he  serve  his  people.  Texas  history  was 
rapidly  made  during  his  long,  eventful  life,  and  he 
lived  and  loved  and  grew  old  in  the  inspiration  of 
the  spirit  of  Texas. 

The  Sibyl's  face  brightened  as  she  said,  '  Not 
yours,  but  the  South's,  not  the  South's,  but  the 
world's,'  was  *  The  Old  Roman ! '  The  spirit  of 
Texas  which  sent  him  forth  that  the  world  might 
be  helped  and  strengthened  by  his  force  of  will  and 
mind,  brought  him  back  to  love  Texas  more  than 
before. 

And  then,  one  born  in  Texas,  son  of  her  soil,  voic- 


The  Sibyl's  Story  149 

ing  the  needs  of  the  people,  fought  for  them  as  val- 
iantly as  did  the  soldiers  of  San  Jacinto.  It  was 
the  spirit  of  Texas  which  filled  the  heart  of  the 
"  Tribune  of  the  people,"  when  he  faced  the  world 
uncorrupted  by  ambition,  unwarped  by  power  and 
never  dazzled  by  glory. 

We  ask  her  how  it  was  that  they  were  so  great 
and  good,  so  marvelous  in  endurance,  and  what 
was  the  secret  of  their  power? 

She  tells  us  that  the  world  has  never  seen  a  peo- 
ple better  equipped  to  take  care  of  themselves  or 
more  disposed  to  do  it  than  the  Texans.  Because 
they  could  control  themselves  they  were  able  to 
control  the  world,  and  that  the  ability  to  control 
themselves  has  marked  their  lives  as  individuals 
and  as  a  people  from  the  beginning.  Then  she 
adds,  "  The  first  element  in  the  control  of  others  is 
invariably  self-control."  Let  us  think  long  and  well 
upon  what  she  has  said. 

She  tells  us  that  Texas  is  not  a  state,  merely,  it 
is,  rather,  a  thought,  quickened,  greatened,  and  de- 
veloped into  a  people  and  ripened  into  a  race. 
That  Texas  is  a  result  of  the  will  of  God  and  the 
best  work  of  men,  no  "  mushroom  grown  in  a 
night,"  and  no  accident  out  of  line  with  great 
events.  That  the  early  Texas  men  and  women  be- 
lieved that  to  be  right  was  to  be  rich,  and  that 
privation,  suffering  and  starvation  were  small  prices 
to  pay  for  personal  liberty.  There  was  never  a 
nation  more  noblv  born. 


150  Texas  Hero  Stories 

Believing  in  the  divinity  of  truth  and  the  su- 
premacy of  God,  they  were  a  people  born  of  free 
opinion,  free  conviction  and  free  citizenship,  and 
out  of  these  precious,  priceless  sources  has  ema- 
nated our  great  Texas. 

Then,  again,  we  ask  her  if  she  loves  the  sons  of 
Texas  of  to-day  as  she  loved  their  fathers?  She 
does  not  hesitate  to  tell  us  that  she  does,  that  there 
are  those  among  the  Texans  of  to-day  who  are 
genuine,  true  and  strong,  noble  in  word  and  deed 
and  that  the  Texas  fathers  are  glorified  in  their 
sons. 

With  her  face  turned  toward  the  east,  she  looks 
into  the  blue  as  though  she  can  see  still  brighter, 
better  and  nobler  things  than  she  has  enumerated 
to  us. 

As  we  reluctantly  leave  her,  she  rises  and,  point- 
ing significantly  to  the  broad  valleys  and  sun- 
kissed  hills  of  Texas,  which  now  we  love  more  than 
before,  and  to  which  we  renew  allegiance,  she 
says,  with  ringing  voice : 

All  things  to  you  are  possible ! 
All  things  are  yours !     The  best  is  yet  to  come ! 
For  Texas  is  your  inheritance! 


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APR,  25  1934 

NOV  .!..      (6 

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JAN    19  Wl> 

MOV     $    1939 

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p,pn  li  4Q 

NOV    :j   }&V> 

NOV    l    7943 

JUL    31    1946 

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UNOV'55^ 

OCT2 

LD  21-100m-7,'33 

20C62 


281739 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


